


Let Me Help You

by slywrites



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Other, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, slow burn alucard/reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-11-06 10:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17938409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slywrites/pseuds/slywrites
Summary: The icy walls that surrounded Alucard's heart thawed all because you stuck around when he needed someone the most.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first slow burn EVER. Most of the fic will follow the second season of Castlevania and will go on beyond the show too. Please let me know if you enjoyed the chapter and what kind of scenarios you'd like to see in the future! Thank you!

The morning neared, which meant that you would finally get the warmth you’ve wished for the past hour or so. Your fire had long burned out, and you didn’t want to move from your advantage point to get more kindling to relight it. It was a bitch to get to the second floor of the broken Belmont estate, but it was the best place to watch over the ruins and keep the smaller monsters at bay. It was also a great hiding spot, if anyone came into the ruins they would pass over you like a ghost. 

You’ve spent far too much time mapping the best and worst locations to scout from. It was your duty, one which you didn’t want in the first place, to watch over the Belmont Hold till one of those godforsaken monster hunters decided to come back. You didn’t even know if they ever would step foot onto this land again, but it was your father's dying wish, you couldn’t go against that. You stayed, you scouted, you protected the treasure that lies underneath your feet. You’ve seen it once when you were just a child. You remember the giant staircase that felt like it would lead you straight to hell. The blood-red banners and carpet covered every inch of the walls and stairs. The fear that you would never make it back up to the real world still haunted you to this day. The warmth of the Earth had weighed down on you, that made it hard to breathe. You shook those long dead feelings out of your mind as you watched the first rays of the sun lick the horizon. You wrapped your coat tighter around your shoulders. 

Another sleepless night, you pulled out one of your throwing knives and etched another line on the wall you leaned on. Thousands of lines were embedded into the sanctuary you found in this absolute shit hole. You stood from your perch and stretched out your aching muscles. It was almost time to head home for a bit, just to freshen up and eat. You couldn’t stay up here forever, and you really didn’t even want to spend any time here anymore. It seemed pointless.

Each day it seemed like you would curse to God about these Belmont’s and the promise you made. You couldn’t - no you wouldn’t - ever go back on that promise, even if it costed your life, you could meet your father in the afterlife and say you kept his promise. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t be angry with him for pushing this burden onto you, you weren’t even close to being a Belmont. You trained with them, learned from them, and even considered them a second family, but you would never have the innate monster hunter skills that were in their blood. 

You scanned the horizon and focused your attention on the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the estate. You spent a good amount of time waiting for movement, or an attack before you deemed it safe to climb down. You put your throwing knife back in its holster by your ribs, tightened the sword at your waist, slung the bow that laid next to you all night across your chest and scaled the wall easily. The dirt barely moved as you landed, you made sure to cover your tracks just encase anyone would invade the ruins when you were gone for the one or two hours a day you allowed yourself. You never knew when someone would try and find the large golden entrance you hid long ago. Rubble had already covered the staircase that leads to hell, you just made sure that it looked like every other pile around the estate. It took you days to move that much rock and dirt to make sure it was covered. Scars lined your hands and arms, just reminders of the sacrifices you made. 

The small cottage you called your real home lied not too far from the estate, but far enough. Which is just the way you wanted it to be. You covered the roof with fallen branches and made the walls out of rocks, to make it look like it was supposed to be apart of the forest. A quick jog from the edge of the estate, you made it your home in exactly a minute. You pulled a giant branch to the side, exposing the door you carved out of a fallen tree trunk. With a nudge the door opened, you heard the faint click of the trap you set every time you left. You brought your hands up crossing them over your chest in a fast and blurry motion cutting off the magic you embed into the door. The sigh of the trap being turned off was the only sound that brought music to your ears. The door closed shut behind you. Here was the small place you called home.

It was just one open room, a bed made of hay in the corner, a table to eat at, a bookshelf with all the books you found in the ruins, a few changes of clothes, and an array of weapons on the wall. What you chose to carry on you varied each day, mostly because you never stayed in the same spot twice in a row. Of course, the perch was your favorite because of the advantage, but the estate was large and you were but one person. That’s where the books came in handy. 

The Belmont’s weren’t known as magicians but that doesn’t mean they didn’t dabble in the sort. The books ranged from simple illusions spells to even more complex ones like the traps you had on your door and the ones you surrounded the estate with. They were all the same tripwire like spell, which was weak compared to what you read in the books, but it was the only one you could perform reliably and fast. You stripped your weapons and laid them on the table, and started to change out of your night clothes into your day ones. The nights were cold but the days were hot, and that forced you to change in the morning and the evening, the only two hours you had away from the ruins a day. 

A small stream flowed just outside your home, you would take a bowl and let the water fill to the top and practice a fire spell to heat it up. It was very dangerous, as you weren’t a master with the fire ones yet, but you liked to live a little, especially since you were all alone out here. Your mind went into a haze as you moved through your routine. You washed yourself with a towel with the warm water you heated up and put on your day clothes. A light tan shirt with a leather chest piece, leather bracers, dark pants, knee-high boots, and a light gray cloak. You walked up to your little arsenal and decided to holster two short swords at your waist. You always kept your throwing knives at your ribs, two on each side, and two in your boots. You didn’t want to become over-encumbered but you wanted enough weapons to feel safe out there. Finally, you grabbed your satchel and shoved one of the spell books into it. 

The morning was crisp as you ate a small breakfast of various fruits you picked. You left the small house, closed the door behind you and rest your tripwire spell. There was no rush to get back, you were only gone for thirty minutes or so. The walk was easy, the sun shined down warming your cold bones. As you pulled out the spell book you stuffed in your bag. You wanted to read up on some of the more intricate trap spells and test them out tonight. 

You spent a good portion of your day keeping watch amongst the property. The one spell that really caught your eye was a signaling spell. When the trap is tripped it’s supposed to set off a loud bang and send a fireball into the sky. It’s been a long while since one of your traps was tripped but that didn’t mean that you could let up on the defense. You walked back and forth, in and around the ruins, reading and watching the forest. The day passed fast, and you were close to heading back to your home to change. Before you left, you enacted the new trap spell in front of the main part of the estates. It was the only logical way to get to it if you delved too far into the forest you could be lost for days. 

You imbued the trail with the spell, crossing your hands over your chest and pushing your hands into the dirt muttering a language straight from the book. As your hands left the dirt, you saw your work intertwining itself with the floor. It shined bright for a second then dimmed. You didn’t want to disturb the trap just yet, you tested it out on a small scale all day long and it seemed to work just fine. As another precaution, you set up your normal basic tripwire spell just after the fireball one. The normal tripwire would make the user fall, then whatever anchor you tied to it would fall on the unsuspecting victim. It wouldn’t alert you till the anchor would fall and if you were too far, like in your home, you wouldn’t hear it. Though you were satisfied with the work, you set off back to your home to change. 

The night was nearing as the sun started it’s decent. You decided to hustle this time, mostly to change into your warmer clothes faster. You did not want to have to suffer in the cold any longer than necessary. You went through your routine of cutting the trap, stripping your day clothes to clean and get into your night ones. As soon as you holstered your sword, quiver, and bow you heard a loud popping sound as light cast shadows in your home. Your heart stopped. Someone or something walked right into the new trap you had just set. 

You bolted out your door forgoing your tripwire and ran towards the estate.


	2. Chapter 2

“What was that?” Alucard muttered as he moved towards the front of the carriage. 

Sypha and Trevor looked at each other as the giant fireball illuminated the night sky and exploded into millions of rays of fire. 

“Trevor, I thought you said no one has been here in years,” Sypha stated.

Trevor stared in horror at the explosion subsiding. He was sure no one would be here, who would dare be here after all these years? The land was cursed, it was the main reason why he never came back. He ignored both of his companion's comments as he hopped from the carriage and broke out in a sprint towards the house. 

“Belmont! Wait!” Sypha yelled as she followed suit. She grabbed a torch from behind her and ignited it with her magic as she ran after him. 

The ruins were dark, and the air weighed heavy on Trevor as he stood in front of where the grand entrance used to be. He didn’t want to take another step forward, he didn’t know what lay in that darkness. The fireball had to mean that someone was here, or was. Sypha ran up next to Trevor with her torch in hand, that cast eerie shadows on the rubble. Alucard stood behind the two, his own torch lit, and waited for Trevor to make the first move. 

“Well?” Spyha whispered.

Trevor looked at her just from the corner of his eyes, he was afraid and Spyha knew it. She wanted to push him forward, to get this over with. They didn’t have much time to find Dracula’s castle and end the terror he was bringing upon the lands. 

He took the first step, ducking his head under the fallen pillar on the door and entered the premise for the first time in years. As Trevor lead the way to the direction of the Belmont Hold, Alucard notices a shine close to the floor. 

“Wait!” He yelled but it was too late. 

Trevor’s foot broke the thin magical wire, he looked up as he heard rumble falling. Alucard moved fast and pushed Trevor out of the way. They both fell to the floor, the giant rock crumbled as it landed where Trevor once was. 

You stood up from your perch and saw three figures by the front of the door. From this distance, you could tell that one was a woman wearing blue robes. A speaker? The other two, men you could tell, laid just outside your trap. The blond threw himself into the man that tripped it. You saw the blond stand up and helped the other up. You knocked an arrow and muttered to yourself, imbuing the tip with fire as you shot out a warning towards the party that entered the estate. 

Your voice boomed across the rubble, “Leave this place if you know what it is good for you.”

The three looked around frantically, as they tried to find the source of the warning. 

Trevor stood up, he looked at Spyha then to Alucard, “I know that voice.”

“Are you kidding me, Belmont? Do something then! They are trying to kill us,” Spyha hissed. She brought her hands up to her chest, fire starting to ignite on her fingertips. 

He pulled out his whip, his mouth agape. It’s been so long since I’ve heard that voice. It felt like he was glued in his position, that voice - your voice - struck him to the core. He thought you were dead, with the rest of his family after…

“Belmont!” Sypha yelled. 

Another arrow shot past him, just inches from his face. It stopped before it hit him, the flaming tip warmed his face. Spyha held it with her magic and with a flick of her wrist, shot it back to where she thought the source came from. 

Spyha came to stand next to Trevor, “What is the matter with you?”

Trevor shook his head and gripped his whip tighter. There weren’t many places that you could have this much advantage on them, he eyed two potential perches where the second floor of his home was. He ran and whipped at an exposed broken piece of the ceiling, the momentum threw him airborne with the help of Spyha that gave him that last push to go higher. He landed on the first perch and saw remnants of your life here. The thousands of scratches into the stone, the burnt wood, and what looks to be oil? You stood on top of a broken pillar some five or so feet away. You balanced perfectly on it as you shot out a single fireball to ignite the perch into flames. 

You heard the man yell “Shit!” He threw himself backward in a large arch to land on a pillar just like yours. 

The hood on your cloak hid your features, you looked more like a shadow than a human - just the way you wanted it to be. You knocked another arrow and let it fly at him, it never hit him as the blond from before appeared out of nowhere and sliced it out of the air. His golden eyes burned into you as he floated in midair, a long broadsword pointed directly at you. His stare held you still. You couldn’t move, you couldn’t react the way you wanted to. It was when his image in front of you seemed to vanish, and you felt his presence behind you that you finally reacted. 

You jumped and slid down the pillar and landed harshly on the floor, the wind knocked out of you. You stood quickly, and pain shot through your chest, it hurt to breathe. The blond descended in a speed you’ve never seen before, his sword slashed at you. You managed to throw yourself to the side and miss the first blow. His volleys kept coming, you used your terrain to your advantage and block his blows by skirting around the rubble. 

You pulled out the short sword at your side and parred one of his slashes before it could hit you. His strength made your arms shake as you tried to hold him back. He pushed a little harder and your strength faltered as you fell to the floor. The tip of his sword pointed dangerously at your throat. The man who you tried to set on fire only moments ago slid down the pillar perfectly and land more gracefully than you. The woman in blue ran up next to them, her extended fingertips ignited with flames pointed at you. 

“What are you waiting for? Get it over with,” You spat at the blond. 

Before he could say anything to you the other man extended his arm and pushed the sword away from your throat. 

“Don’t you remember me?”

You looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. You recognize the golden crest embroidered on his tunic. 

“Belmont” you hissed. You made a quick move to stand up and sucker punched him in the face. It was too quick for Sypha or Alucard to react without hurting Trevor. They let him take the hit. 

He fell back onto the remains of one of the walls, “Hey! What was that for!”

“I can’t believe you! You insufferable! Unforgiving! _**Asshole!**_ ” You kept swinging at him, he took a few hits before he caught both of your fists in his. 

You tried to squirm out of his grip. When that didn’t work you resorted to kicking him in the shins.

“Hey! Hey! Stop!” Trevor yelled.

You didn’t stop till you felt tears prick at the corners of your eyes, and before you could stop them from forming, your entire vision went blurry. You let your arms fall dead. Once he saw that you were done with the hitting, he let your hands go. 

Spyha and Alucard looked at each other, then back towards the person who was trying to beat the shit out of Trevor. They didn’t know whether they should let their guards down or not. 

“It’s been years, I’ve been..” You tried to hold back the sob that shook your body. It didn’t work. 

Trevor didn’t know what to do in situations like these, he was alone for so much of his adult life he never learned how to process others emotions especially if they were crying. 

“What are you doing here?” Trevor asked.

You licked your lips and pulled the hood away from your face. You swiped at the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. For some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to talk not just yet. 

You looked over Trevor’s shoulder and eyed the two people with him. The woman was a speaker, you couldn’t deny that. The blond man though, he looked human but the way he moved wasn’t. 

“Who are they?” You pushed, you wanted answers first you deserved them.

Trevor noticed your hesitance and made the decision to hold his questions back first. “These are my companions.”

“Companions? Are you like a traveling party or something?” You asked. 

He scratched the back of his head, “No not really, we are here for the Hold. We need information on Dracula, to kill him.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, “You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Stop it,” He rolled his eyes. 

“How long has your family been trying to kill him? What makes you think you could do what your ancestors couldn’t?” You asked, sincerely.

“You haven’t changed either,” Trevor shook his head, “For your information, we have Dracula’s son on our side.” 

Your eyes went wide and looked back towards the blond, it all made sense.

The movement, the eyes, the floating, you felt like you had the wind knocked out of you. Your knees trembled, and you almost fell back on your ass if Trevor didn’t catch you first. 

“Are you shitting me?!” You breathed, “You-you’re working with a vampire?!”

“Well, half-vampire actually,” Trevor shrugged like it was nothing.

“You think that makes it any better?” You rebutted. 

“No, but I trust him - only as far as I can throw him - but he’s serious about this. No matter what he is, he’s ready to kill his father without any hesitation, that’s got to mean something doesn’t it?” 

You looked back and forth between Trevor and the Half-vampire behind him. You didn’t trust the half-vampire, not one bit.

“Listen, will you help us?” Spyha interjected between you and Trevor. 

“Help?” Your brows furrowed, “Why would you want my help?”

“You’re capable, you set a great trap and you’re magic is amazing! Plus we need all the help that we can get, there is only three of us,” She faked a laugh.

You blinked. You almost tried to kill them moments ago, and now they were trying to recruit you into their Dracula killing team? It didn’t make any sense to you, nothing in this world made sense any more the more you thought about it. 

“But..I..” You couldn’t even begin to try and finish that sentence. 

“Hey, I know I shouldn’t ask you of this, you’ve already given enough. You don’t have to tell me anything, but help us - help me - this last time. After we kill Dracula, you can go off and do whatever you like,” Trevor added. 

You looked at him, really looked at him. “I’ve spent most of my life dedicated to the Belmont family.”

“I know, I owe your family more than you could ever know,” He interjected. 

You sighed, overwhelmed with emotions. You knew your decision. 

“Trevor, the moment she asked the question I already had my answer.” You stated. 

This could either be the best or the worst decision of your life. You already spent more than six years of your life protecting a grave, what’s a few more days?

“Well?” Alucard perked up, the first time he ever spoke in the conversation, “We haven’t got all day.”

“I’ll help you, just to be able to say that I helped kill Dracula,” You stood strong. 

Trevor and Sypha smiled at each other, they beamed at the thought of having a fourth member. Trevor put a strong hand on your shoulder and squeezed. He mouthed a ‘thank you’ as he stepped away to take Sypha’s torch. 

“Where is the door? I know you must have hidden it,” Trevor asked. 

“You know me so well,” You smiled, “Follow me.” 

You turned your back towards the group and walked deeper into the ruins back to the hold you’ve protected and kept hidden for all these years. Finally, they would be exposed to the world and used like they were meant to.


	3. Chapter 3

Alucard cleared the rubble, that took you days to cover, in mere minutes. You held back your surprised expression as best you could. Trevor wasn’t kidding about the whole half-vampire thing. You’ve never met one before, know that you thought about it you never met a vampire in general before. You’ve only dealt with humans and the night hordes, that’s it. No vampire ever dared to get close to the Belmont Estate. Even though there was only one Belmont now, their legacy still held strong. 

Everyone looked at the shining slab of gold on top of one of the most notorious holds of information. 

“What are you waiting for Belmont, open it,” You pushed. You honestly didn’t want to go back down there. It was so long ago that you went down there with your father, but the memories crept up your spine.

Trevor looked between his companions and bent down. Alucard followed suit and tried to pry the slab open. 

“I can’t seem to find purchase,” Alucard stated.

Sypha crossed her arms and read the engraving on the slab. She laughed, like a thought burst into her head, “It’s not going to open that way, Alucard. It’s magically sealed!”

She seemed so proud of herself, you couldn’t blame her. 

“Uh, the Belmont’s weren’t known to be magicians,” Trevor retorted, “I’m not sure how you open it.”

“Didn’t you say that you’ve been down there before?” Alucard asked.

“Well, yes, but it was open already when I went down there. Maybe there was a word or spell or something that I was supposed to learn but I-“ he paused for a second, “I never got the chance to learn it.”

Spyha walked and bent to look at the text. A smile spread across her face, “Stand back.” She instructed. 

You, Trevor, and Alucard followed her orders. She moved her hands a crossed her chest and a blue light seemed to be emitted from her and onto the slab. Giant wings sprouted from where she touched it. She moved backward her eyes closed, yet her face determined. The ground shook as the slab seemed to disappear before your eyes. 

She turned to look at the group, “Open Sesame.” 

You couldn’t help the smile on your face, these were the people who decided they were going to be the ones to kill Dracula. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have companions like these. 

Trevor started his descent down the staircase. He probably didn’t want to go down there as much as you did. You followed right after him. Alucard and Spyha talked about the inscription on the slab, something about how it had a word that meant hell? 

“Of course this is a hell, it wouldn’t belong to the Belmont’s otherwise,” you muttered.

“I heard that,” Trevor turned to you.

“That’s why I said it,” You interjected. 

You and Trevor walked down the stairs in silence after that, with Spyha and Alucard following behind. When the stairs ended at the bottom, an ornate door shown in the torchlight. Trevor didn’t stop to think about what would come next, he pushed the door open into a large cylindrical room. 

Your breathing hitched, all those memories flooded back into your brain of that one moment. The red carpet and drapes that reminded you of blood. The stairs that never seemed to end. It looked almost exactly how you remembered it, though it was darker. The red wasn’t as vibrate, the air was stale, it seemed more like a tomb. Trevor eyed you, he didn’t want to ask if you were okay but you could tell with that look that he wanted to. You gave him a nod and followed him down the stairs. 

You tuned out the questions that Sypha asked about the Belmont’s and their origin. You knew the story too well, you grew up with Trevor till… You shook that out of your head. You didn’t want to think about the moments that changed your life forever. You wanted to focus on the here and now, and that involved walking down these hell stairs to the library that sat at the end. 

After what felt like a lifetime, you all made it to another ornate door that was identical to the first. Trevor took a deep breath before he walked through. The sight of how big the library was stunned you. As a child, you remembered how small you felt inside it, but even now you still felt small. You could barely see the other side of the room, and the stairs to your right went on forever. Books lined every inch of the walls. Old tomes from times forgotten you could spend a lifetime here reading and not even make a dent in the information down here. 

Your body moved before your mind could understand what it was doing. You walked to the left, away from your newly formed companions. Trevor watched as you walked away from the stairs, he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what you’ve gone through all these years protecting a dead families library in hopes that one of them would come back. There was so much he wanted to say but he didn’t know how. Instead, he walked down the stairs with Sypha and Alucard in tow.

Your hands glided across the spines of the books. You could barely read most of the titles, they were in some foreign language you never had the chance to study. Some you could read only a word or two, but that’s it. This felt like you were in a whole different dimension, you were out of your element. The Earth seemed to weigh down on you, the same way it felt when you were young. You pushed that uncomfortable feeling to the back of your mind as you wound around the top level towards another section of books. Your eyes wandered over every book, of all colors and sizes, you had no idea how the four of you would be able to find any information about Dracula here. This felt like a sensory overload. You walked towards the back wall and saw a giant opening where a large skeleton of some creatures hung. It was bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. Which Belmont killed this? You thought. There was no way that a creature that big ever lived on this land, there just couldn’t be. 

The voices of your companions rose up to you. You could make out that Sypha was surprised that there was an actual order to the books. There were other words that you couldn’t make out but you could tell that it was Alucard that spoke. You turned and leaned against the railing. The hold went on for about five or so levels, and your companions were at the bottom. You made your way over to the stairs and took your time to walk down. Every place you looked you found something new to look at, whether it be books, vials of liquid you had no idea what was inside, and cases of weapons or trophies by the looks of it. As you got to the bottom, you saw a giant golden case that Alucard stood in front of. Trevor had already walked away from the two to explore. Sypha had her eyes glued to the book in front of her. You walked over to the case, just to peek at what was inside.

It took everything in your body to not react in front of the half-vampire. The case held twenty or more skulls of vampires, and the one he looked at in particular was that of a child. The small pointed teeth almost broke your heart. Alucard paid no attention to you and stormed off in the other direction. You watched as his coat bellowed into one of the stacks of books. You’ve never seen anything like this before and you didn’t know what to really say or do in this instant. 

You willed yourself away from the case and towards Sypha. You walked around to stand in front of her. 

“How can I help?” You asked.

Her eyes shot up to look at you, a bemused look in her eyes. You could tell she was bursting at the seams over how many books were here. 

“You can read, yes?” She replied

“I can, I kind of taught myself how to read so it’s not perfect,” You tried to sound lighthearted, but it just came out sad. 

Sypha smiled, a real genuine smile, “That’s okay, any help is good help. I’ll start looking for a spell, could you look for any and all information about the Castle itself?”

You nodded and returned her smile, “Where should I start?”

Sypha looked back into the book, she flipped through a bunch of pages then backtracked. Her eyes followed the flick on her finger over the words. You could hear her muttering to herself, probably reading the text before her.

“Here, the best place would be up on the next floor in those stacks.” She pointed towards the upper floor. Your eyes followed where she was looking at. 

“If you need me, I will be around here somewhere,” She said as she kept looking through the big book. 

You made your way up the stairs and to the stacks she recommended. To be honest, the shelves intimidated you. They held so much precious information over lifetimes, and you could only understand some of it. You looked at the spines and picked up one with golden writing on a dark blue spine. You flipped through the pages and came across a strewed picture of a castle. You studied the words, processing the information. You looked back at the shelf and picked a few other books and sat down in the middle of the aisle. 

Time passed, how much you didn’t know, books piled up around you and your eyes grew tired. You were so used to being outside, it felt hard to breathe and you lost your time of day. You closed the book in your lap and rubbed your eyes. You heard a shuffle to your left. As you opened your eyes, you saw Alucard standing next to you. 

Alucard looked at you, then at all the books surrounding you like a makeshift fort. He tilted his head and picked up one of the discarded ones next to you. You felt like you wanted to melt into the floor, he didn’t say anything to you, as he just kneeled next to you to flip through the pages.

“Why are you so dedicated to the Belmont’s?” He asked after he closed the book. 

You looked at him, then to the book in your lap. Too many thoughts washed through your head, how could you even answer this question? 

“Why do you want to know?” You countered. 

His golden eyes turned to you, “Curiosity.” 

“Um, well,” you paused, trying to figure out how to word this mess, “Trevor’s father and mine were close friends, both monster hunters actually. Trevor’s a year older than me so when I was born, my parents wanted us to grow up together. When..when the people came to chase the Belmont’s out, my father promised to keep the library safe. No matter what.” 

You shrugged. He continued to stare at you and your mind felt like it fogged over. You felt compelled to tell him more, and you couldn’t stop yourself when it did. 

“My father died a little over six years ago and I’ve been here alone..until now.” 

“Interesting,” was all Alucard said. 

“Not really,” you replied, “I dedicated a good portion of my life to protect a grave and now I am here risking it to help stop Dracula - if that is even possible.”

“It will be possible, with your help, Trevor’s and Sypha’s,” Alucard replied. He placed the book back to its resting place. 

You watched as he stood and walked away from where you sat, just like before at the cases. This was the first real back and forth conversation you’ve had with the half-vampire. He wasn’t a man of many words, but they did make an impact. You looked around at the pile and let a heavy sigh leave your lips. 

“This was going to be a long night,” you said to no one in particular as you picked up another book from the shelf in front of you. 

What you didn’t see was Alucard sitting on top of a shelf on the floor above you. He stared at you intently. Alucard was never trusting to most people, especially hunters like yourself, but if Trevor believed and trusted in you, then he would too.


	4. Chapter 4

Trevor walked through the stacks. He didn’t really help out much, he wasn’t as scholarly like the rest. In all honesty, it scared the shit out of him that he was here again at home. Alone. 

Not alone in technicality, but he was the last Belmont. The only one left in his family. The only one who made it out alive. And barely at that. He watched as Sypha buried her nose in book after book. How Alucard followed after like a puppy. 

And how you sat in solidarity, on purpose.

He knew what you were feeling. That isolated state that you’ve been in so long, it just felt normal to push the others away. To be fearful of letting anyone in, to trust them. That was in his bones and yours.

Trevor watched you from the bottom floor, the way that you kept close to the stacks, away from the eyes of his companions. You were always a floor up, a section away. Your eyes always scanning, looking for a threat at any moment. How long have you been alone? Trevor wondered. 

You kept your nose in the books, to keep your mind off how crazy their plan was. Kill Dracula? The fucking Dracula?! How long have the Belmont’s been hunting him, the best of the best and even they couldn’t do it. How was a half-vampire, one Belmont, a speaker, and what would you even classify yourself as? A hunter? Protector? A failure? 

You slammed the book in your hand shut with an unnecessary amount of force. 

“Be careful with those, you keep handling them like that there won’t be a hold to protect,” Trevor quipped.   
You shot him a deadly look, and he immediately put his hands up in defense. 

“Just trying to ease the tension,” he muttered. 

“Nice try, but it didn’t work.” You replied. 

Trevor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He wanted to say a lot, to get some answers as to why you were here, why you stayed here. It was all too much. He didn’t know where to start, so he stood there. And stared at you. 

You watched him out of the corner of your eye, “What do you want Belmont?” 

“What makes you think I want anything?”

You turned fully to look at him. You leaned against the shelf and raised your brow. 

“Really?”

He shrugged, then you saw the tension in his shoulders tighten. 

Trevor muttered your name in the saddest tone you’ve ever heard from him, and it hit you deep into your gut. “What happened?”

Flashes from that night many many years ago. The fires, the screaming, the promise your father made that got thrust upon you after his death. 

“Too much,” you started, “It all happened so fast.”

The echoes of your father's’ promise. The start of your survival training. The long nights and days with your father, then alone. The tears started to form, but you wouldn’t let them fall. 

“I’m sorry,” Trevor whispered. 

You looked at him, how his eyes subverted to your boots. 

“You know, I blamed you for everything that happened to me.”

Trevor shot you a look, the crease in his brow made him look older. You two were adults now, not kids anymore. 

“I wanted someone to blame. Anyone. First, it would be you, then your parents. Somedays I cursed the entire Belmont clan. It felt good to put a face to the hurt, to the reason why I was forced to live out in the elements alone. But after my father died..” You paused as you took a deep breathe, “I realized I was blaming your family because it was easy.”

“Easy?” He questioned. 

“Easier than coming to the conclusion that your family was purposefully wiped out by an angry mob who didn’t understand the good you were doing in the world. There’s nothing to apologize for...Well maybe except that you smell like death.”

“I’m sorry I never had a consistent home with a place to bathe in,” He shot back. 

“I didn’t even have a proper bath yet I still cleaned up.”

Trevor chuckled, and soon it turned into a full laugh. You joined him, and it felt good to smile for once. To let the tension leave your body, and to remember the little things in life that made it worth living. 

 

\---

 

After your talk with Trevor, you two seemed to be on a better understanding now. You were glad he approached you, you knew you wouldn’t be able to. You didn’t know what to say to him, after all these years neither of you were the same person. The old way that you two would talk to each other wouldn’t work. Neither of you even knew the surface of what the other experienced. It was hard to understand, and talking was not either of your best suits. 

But you talked to Alucard. You told him what happened, a quick note of your life story, why you were here and why you stayed here. He didn’t judge, he didn’t know your history. It didn’t matter all the while on how you got here, just that you did and you agreed to help. You felt compelled to tell him, to at least have a person who didn’t understand all the emotions, all the memories, to know what happened. 

You didn’t tell him everything, like Trevor, but you told him enough. 

As you sat stuck in your own mind, you felt the uncomfortable tension in your legs. You couldn’t sit down any more. The cramps in your knees screamed as you stood up and stretched from your little safe space. You grabbed two books that you thought had pertinent information that Sypha could use. Now, the problem was trying to find her somewhere in this place. The last place you saw her was on the first floor, and that’s where you decided to start. 

Much of the library looked the same. Some stacks had trophies mounted to the walls or cases in between them. As you walked down each row, you finally found Sypha. She was cuddled next to Trevor by what looked to be like a broken mirror. A single candle illuminated the small space and you saw a chest that Trevor leaned on. They both looked so content you couldn’t help but smile. They probably needed the break, and you decided to come back a little later just for a few more moments of peace. 

You backed away, and kept a watch on them to make sure you didn’t disturb their rest. As you turned the corner to go back to another part of the library, you ran smack into Alucard. He felt like a brick house and you almost fell back from the recoil if he didn’t reach out and grab your wrist at the last second. 

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“I found some stuff I was going to tell Sypha but..” You pointed over your shoulder, “Anyways, I’m sorry for running into you, I should be more careful.” 

Alucard only nodded and let your wrist go, “They should be working on the task at hand.”

“They’re only human,” you sighed. “You can’t blame them for what they are.”

You turned to look at him. He tilted his head, like he was going to say something but decided against it. His attention went back to looking at the books on the shelves, like he was trying to find something worth his time. You moved farther down the stacks and went down one a few rows away from Alucard. 

There has to be more information about Dracula’s castle than two excerpts, you thought as you picked one up. You flipped through the pages and found nothing interesting. You moved onto the next and the next, hoping to find more. You got to the end of the shelf and watched as Alucard picked up book after book, just like you, and skimmed it before putting it back in its place on the wall in front of him.

“Why is this so important to you?” You broke the silence. 

Alucard turned to look at you over his shoulder. The distance between you two diminished as he seemed to move faster than the blink of your eye. 

“Is it not important to you?” He countered. 

“I think the fate of humanity is important yes, but you?” You gestured at him, “He’s your father.”

You watched as he just blinked at you. Something changed in his eyes, they seemed to look a little sad. Alucard opened his mouth to respond, but closed it like he couldn’t say what he wanted to. He turned back to the bookshelf and picked up a book, anything to keep his hands and mind busy. 

After what felt like forever he responded, “He’s committing genocide in the name of my mother, and I won’t allow her memory to be tainted that way. He has to die, by my hands or another. I don’t care. He just has to.” 

You could feel his anger radiate off him, and you didn’t want to push him too far. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

“No, but it just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Nothing in life ever is,” He stated. 

Alucard slammed his book shut and shoved it roughly back into its place on the shelf. He brushed past you towards anywhere that wasn’t here. He’s stuck between two worlds, human and vampire, what could you even do to help him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to try and have a consistent posting schedule of once per week (let's see how that pans out). I wanted to make this a longer chapter since it's been a week and a few days to make up for the wait, but the chapter just ended perfectly were it was and I didn't want to add too much. I completely rewrote the beginning from what I originally was going to post so I hope it's good. 
> 
> As a tease, the next chapter is going to be a long one with a lot of fighting involved. Stay tuned!!


	5. Chapter 5

You awoke to the sounds of yelling from below you. Everything felt like a daze. Your muscles ache from the awkward half sitting position you had. You rubbed your eyes and peered over the ledge. 

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Sypha’s angered question rose up to your perch.

Below you saw Alucard on Sypha’s heels. 

“He is unreliable, emotionally damaged, and apparently distracting to you while you should be focused on the task at hand.”

Sypha slammed the book in her hands and shoved it back on the shelf.

“Oh, am I not working hard enough?” She hissed. 

You watched as Alucard and Sypha walked together to another section of the library. You made your way over to the stairs. Two books were tucked under your arm as you walked to were you last saw them.

You rounded the corner, Alucard’s back was towards you. His response was too low for you to hear. But the surprised look on Sypha’s face made you curious. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” You started. 

Sypha glanced at Alucard before answering, “Not at all, did you find something?”

You pulled out one of the two books, “A little bit. It seems like the castle uses a machine, magical like to teleport. But it’s a mechanism that is way before our time and hasn’t been replicated since the building of the castle. It’s one of a kind. I think a trap spell or a locking spell would be able to stop the engine.” 

Sypha took the first book from your hands and read the excerpt over. You handed her the other book with your finger in between the pages she’d be interested in. She took it gingerly and scanned the words. 

“Yes! Yes! This sounds like a good idea! I can manipulate a trap spell and adjust it to the machine in the castle,” Sypha looked through the book she originally had in her hands, “Alucard had me that volume, the one with the red spine.”

Alucard moved back a few shelves and grabbed what she requested. Her eyes scanned over the pages, and a smile formed. “I see Adamic, I can use this.”

She quickly read through the passage then passed it along to Alucard. How she was able to balance looking between three different books while standing you had no idea. You could barely balance two. You stood between the two academics, your eyes moved from one to the other. 

“I see threads of Chaldaic in it.”

“You’re rather well-read yourself,”

“I had entirely different books under my childhood bed. My father was a polymath, mother was a doctor, and I grew up really fast.” 

“What does that mean?” Sypha voiced the same question that was running through your head. 

“I’m being literal. I aged very quickly.”

“That may explain somethings.”

“What?”

“Perhaps you are an angry teenager in an adults body.” 

The look that Alucard gave Sypha made you bust into a fit of laughter. They both looked at you, the first time you’ve ever truly laughed in their presence. It was unsettling. After a moment you calmed down. 

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” You had to pause and catch your breath. “What is Adamic? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Adamic is the original human language, the one spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The one that was split into all other languages at the Tower of Babel by God to prevent human communication.”

“Is that how you understand that story?” Alucard questioned. 

Trevor walked up the aisle towards the commotion. His eyebrows furrowed at the conversation.

“Oh, yes! The speakers are the enemy of God. We live in cooperation and we hide the stories inside ourselves to avoid jealousy.” Sypha muttered along as she picked up all the books she would need. 

As she was about to continue the entire library shook. You fell back and Alucard caught you by your waist and pulled you into him. You saw Trevor catch himself on a bookshelf out of the corner of your eye. 

“See? God hates me!” Sypha pointed up to the sky and gave off a small laugh. 

The library shook again and a roar echoed into the chamber. Everyone went silent. 

“That’s probably not God,” Alucard stated. He still held onto you. 

You turned to say something but he let go before you even had the chance. As a moment passed, everyone rushed down the stairs towards the broken viewing mirror. As you all got to the first floor, the library shook again. Alucard caught the mirror just in time, just like he did for you. He was there when he was needed. 

“Can we get that magic mirror working?” Trevor sounded worried. 

“I think so. But I can’t do two things at once here." Sypha stated surrounded by all the books she referenced for the spell.

“I know some Chaldaic. I know how to operate a distance mirror. Which shall I do?” Alucard interjected as he moved the mirror towards a more stable location. 

Alucard looked between you and Sypha, then towards Trevor. His back was turned and when he looked back, everyone was staring at him. 

Trevor started to stutter, “Uh, um, I can’t do either of those things.” 

“Neither can I,” You stated. 

“Come on, Belmont. Time to choose,” Alucard hissed as he marched towards Trevor, ignoring your comment, “You’re either the last son of a warrior dynasty or a lucky drunk. Which is it?”

The air in the library became thick, you almost couldn’t breathe. The room shook again. Rocks and dust started to fall from the ceiling. Trevor looked away from Alucard to look up like whatever was above you was going to bust through the roof at any moment. 

You looked between the two, then towards Sypha who shared the same nervousness as you. Trevor looked at the party before him. 

“Okay. Get the mirror working, Alucard. Give me force numbers, species, and weapons count. Sypha stays on her job for now. I’ll fortify the point of entry. And you,” Trevor looked at you, “You’re with me.” 

You nodded. Then another hit, and another shake. You could feel your blood pumping faster. Trevor attached his longsword to his hip. He handed you another sword.

“I don’t need that,” you declined and pointed to the one at your hip. 

Trevor shrugged and laid it back down where he picked it up. 

“I think we’re going to see the size and disposition of the attacking force fairly quickly with our own eyes, Belmont,” Alucard stated.

You could hear the anger in his voice. But you felt like you couldn’t say anything like this wasn’t your place. 

“I’m forced to agree. Do you have a further suggestion?” 

“Are you asking my advice?”

“We’re working together, Alucard,” he marched away from you, “You’re still a bastard, but you’re the bastard I chose to fight alongside back in Gresit. Do you have a problem with any of that?” 

Alucard turned away from the mirror to watch Trevor. “None at all.”

“Do we have time for this?” You piped up, “Who knows what is trying to break into this hold, I’m sorry to break up the banter but can we get a move on?”

You stood your ground, you would not let this hold get destroyed. Not on your watch. 

Trevor nodded, “What do you suggest, Alucard?”

“Using this to find Dracula’s castle. Now.”

This hit was harder than all the ones before. Alucard had a death grip on the mirror as books started to shake off the shelves. 

“We’re trapped in a box down here. We will eventually be overwhelmed. Unless we change the nature of the battle.”

Trevor gripped the handle of his whip tightly. 

“Agreed. Sypha!”

“I’m close to getting it!”  


“We’ll protect you for as long as we can.”

“I know.”

Trevor ran and you followed him up the stairs back towards where you entered the library in the first place, what felt like ages ago. You took a moment to look back at Alucard and Sypha. They both looked worried, and you felt it too. Soon you all would have to face off against Dracula, everything you all have been working towards the past few days was becoming a reality real quick. 

As you two topped the stairs, the final hit on the magically sealed door shook you and Trevor off your feet. You grabbed the railing before fully falling. Trevor braced himself on a bookshelf. 

“You okay?” He asked. 

“Fine, you?”

“Could be better, let’s end this shit.” 

You regained your composure and headed towards the door. Trevor stared at the ornate wood before him with a quizzical look upon his face. 

“Should we try and block it?” You asked. 

Trevor nodded and ran towards a broken bookshelf. He grabbed one of the intact shelves and ran back to the door. You watched as he tried to hold it up across the door assessing the size. The piece of wood was too small to block it horizontally. Trevor then knelt and tried to shove the wood under the door handle. You both watched as the old shelf leaned against the door then within a second it slipped and fell to the floor. 

“Christ,” You breathed, “You call yourself a monster hunter?”

Trevor shot you a deadly glance, and you shrugged it off as you grabbed the door and threw it open. He ran in first and you followed. You both looked up and saw the horrific sight before you. Every nerve in your body froze as a giant minotaur-like creature broke through all the stairs and bridges you walked to get down here.

The rubble fell and broke around you as the creature burst through the last bridge. You and Trevor ducked out of the way, you went left and he went right. The ground shook as it roared and slammed it’s large fists into the ground over and over. The thing - whatever it was - was huge. You’ve never seen anything of this size before. Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you jumped out of the way of a slam from its fists. The arrow you pulled out ignited in flames as you shot it towards the monster's throat. It hit, but it didn’t look like it fazed the creature. Trevor threw his whip up towards a broken beam where the bridge once was and threw himself forward up in the air. He cursed and turned his body to land on the nape of the monster. The sword at his hip slashed out, as he tried to saw into its neck. Before he even made a big enough gash the monster threw him straight towards you. 

You braced yourself and caught him before he could hit the wall. The wind got knocked out of you both as you fell to the floor with him on top of you. You saw the shadow before the hit and managed to scramble to your feet just in time to pull Trevor out of the way before another slam of its fist. Trevor got to his feet with your help and gripped his whip. The Morningstar lashed out at the sword that was still stuck in the monster's neck. Both of you watched as it clattered to the ground, right underneath it. 

Arrows from your bow shot out in a volley at the monster as Trevor ran to retrieve his fallen sword. You aimed for the main wound in its neck, shooting out as many as you could to subdue it. Trevor leaped and rolled over his sword and slashed at its ankles. The monster stopped and blood sprayed from the cuts in its heels as it felt to the ground. The once greystone, now washed in deep red blood. 

“Was that it?” you breathed. 

Trevor shrugged then looked up in horror, “No, no it isn’t.”

You followed his gaze and saw three more monsters falling from the sky. Shit, a firedrake. Its bulbous chest glowed from the fire within it as it looked like it was about to shoot out a volley of fire.

“Oh that’s just what I needed, a firedrake on top of a room full of paper,” Trevor growled.

You readied an arrow before you could let it loose you watched as the Morningstar slashed out from Trevor. The tip flew with perfect precision as it hit the firedrake perfectly in the chest, igniting it to explode above you both. Instinctively, you covered your eyes from the light, which turned out to be a mistake as one of the monsters rammed right into you. The force of the push tossed you through the library door. Your back connected with the railing. The wind rushed out of your lungs and you swore you could see stars. You couldn’t afford to let your guard down now as you rubbed at your eyes and readied the sword at your hip. 

When your vision came back you were caught with the back of Trevor flying at you with a speed you knew would knock you off the ledge. You threw yourself to the side to dodge. Trevor fell over the ledge, but he managed to catch himself on a broken part of a bridge one story below. 

You braced yourself against the railing, “Sorry Trevor!” 

“Shut it!” He yelled from his awkward hanging position, “I’ll take the stupid bird thing you take the other!” 

“Bird?! What - holy shit.” You saw exactly what he was talking about. 

A large creature with wide wings flew down and landed gracefully on the bridge Trevor threw himself on. The dark feathers shot out like arrows as Trevor hit them out of the air. It’s exposed skull and dark eyes bore into you as you stared. Trevor looked up and followed the birds gaze to you. His eyes went wide. 

“Watch out!” 

You turned just in time to see a monster that seemed to tower over you, bandages covered where its eyes should have been. Stretched grey skin over a lithe skeleton and giant horns sprouted from its skull caught your eye, what was this creature?! What did you get yourself into to?!

The creature raised it’s a mangled spear and slashed at you. Your body moved before your mind could process it, the sword in your hand parried the spear. The movements pushed you back and back, till half your body leaned over the ledge. Trevor’s yells rang up to you, but you couldn’t process what he was saying. Right now all you could think of was life or death in this very moment. Everything you sacrificed to protect this library flooded your mind. You spent years training, learning, and fighting to keep this place safe. Within a matter of days, since Belmont and his friends showed up, the library was in danger. You could see, no, you could feel the disappointment your father would have if he saw you in the afterlife this young. 

Something, something deep inside you ignited as you steeled yourself. You slapped one hit of the spear away and jabbed your sword right up its sternum. The creature screamed as you felt the life drain out of it. It’s blood slopping over you and the floor. 

“Don’t ever come back,” you hissed as you mustered up the strength to throw the monster over your head and let it fall down to the floor below. 

You heard the sickening slam as it hit the ground. Broken bones and blood soaked into the floor. You peered over to see Sypha and Alucard look up for a brief moment to see where the monster came from. You gave them a small salute. 

Trevor was still fighting the bird creature one level below you. It looked like his whip dropped to the floor and was fighting with sticks? You rolled your eyes, Belmonts. You sheath your sword and pulled out your bow. You shot two arrows back to back at the creature. Its hollow eyes turned towards you, at that moment its eyes left Trevor he ran up and slammed his stick into its skull. The sickening crack echoed throughout the library. The creature fell to the floor, dead. Trevor gave you a wave, too winded to say anything. He made his way back to his whip that laid a few stacks away from him. 

Sypha ran between the stacks grabbing the final pieces that she needed for the spell. The last monster jumped down towards the level she was at. You were on the opposite side of the library. You sheath your sword in a quick motion and forgone using your fire magic in fear of setting the whole place on fire. You readied your bow with three arrows and shot them all at once. Each one pierced the monsters thick brown fur, it’s scream erupted and shook the entire library. Even with your hit, it still tried to attack Sypha who stood in the middle of stacks a bunch of books in her arms. She didn’t have enough time to drop them and attack. It pounced and before it could hurt her, you saw Trevor run and jump the distance between a bridge and the level. The force of his kick shot the monster back into the far wall. 

With the monster disorientated, Sypha had a brief moment to run past and go back to the first level where Alucard and the distance mirror resided. You ran from where you stood and went towards where Trevor engaged in battle with the bat like creature. 

The creature burst out from the ledge towards Sypha and Alucard below.

“Shit!” You and Trevor said in unison. 

Alucard stared up in horror as the monster fell with a velocity he wasn’t prepared for. He made a move to pull out his longsword. Trevor dashed and picked up the whip on the ground and slashed out. You watched in awe as the tip of the Morningstar Whip glowed with energy you’d never seen before as it made contact with the monster. It exploded in a haze of fire and ash that slowly descended to the ground. 

With the creatures dispatched, your hair started to stand on end as electricity filled the air. It surrounded Sypha by the viewing mirror still a few floors below you. Her arms outstretched towards the picture of the castle, her hands vibrating with magic. You braced yourself as the entire library shook with power. Sypha slapped her hands together, a resounding smack echoed through the chamber. 

“Do as you’re told!” Sypha seethed through gritted teeth.

There was nothing you and Trevor could do to assist. You just watched your jaw going slack as you could feel her power surrounding you. This was a sight to behold, you could see her straining to get a grip on the spell she created only a few moments ago. Her power, her intent, shook the library harder than the monsters previously. 

The air settled, the electricity died down, and everything went silent. 

“I did it!”

You could see her happiness from the level above. Then Alucard turned to look at her as he finally let go of the mirror as the shaking stopped. 

“Where did you land the castle, Sypha?”

“Right on top of us!” Sypha clapped happily. 

The worried look on Alucard’s face made Sypha rethink what she just said. Her demeanor changed in an instant. 

“Oh...Oh. Yes, I landed it on the surface, right above this underground space that is probably only held up by wood and dirt...Let’s go!”

Alucard’s dead expression loomed as Sypha ran off towards the stairs. Alucard made no effort to rush as he looked at the mirror one final time. You thought you could feel the Earth shifting above you. Your mind was probably just playing tricks on you, but you didn’t want to stay any longer to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3,000+ words later here is chapter 5! I hope y'all enjoy it considering it took me like...two...weeks to rewrite this chapter that was already written a long time ago. I wanted to make sure it was perfect. There may be some errors as I just finished writing and it's like midnight where I am. Oh well. Let me know what y'all think! Next chapter is the Dracula fight! Get excited for those wonderful emotions!


	6. Chapter 6

Sypha’s magic was truly a sight to see. First, she brought the castle here alone. Second, she created a rising slab of ice to lift the lot of you back up to the surface after the nights' horde destroyed the stairs. 

The air felt thick with anticipation of what was going to happen next. Trevor stared at his family home that was destroyed yet again. Alucard stared at the floor. Sypha focused on her hands. Your eyes moved from one person to the next. You’ve only known Sypha and Alucard for a few days, but it felt like a lifetime. You wanted nothing more than to make sure that everyone made it out alive, but you didn’t know what kind of force you’ll be facing up there. You’ve only heard stories about Dracula and none of them were good. 

The moon cast a blood red glow on the Earth as you saw the surface again. You’ve never seen anything like this. The entire ruins were covered in water as your boots squished into the ground. 

“Water? That’s weird.” Sypha commented. 

“Do you think it came from the castle?” You asked. 

“Maybe,” She replied. “But that seems odd, no?” 

You shrugged. As everyone stepped onto the ground, Sypha bent down and with her intent shot the ice pillar up and over the Belmont estate and well into the forest. 

Trevor shot her a stunned look. 

“Well, I didn’t want to leave it in there to melt and ruin all your beautiful books,” She stated.

“It seems damp enough out here as it is,” Alucard retorted. 

You suppress a laugh, even in the thick of it, she thought about the knowledge more than anything. It felt good until you turned and looked at the castle looming over the estate. Your mouth went dry and your heart started to beat against your ribs. 

Sypha pointed towards where you were staring, “Look!” 

Here it was. Life or death. 

“You did it, Sypha,” Trevor smiled. 

“Yes, but seeing it is something else entirely,” She smiled, “I’m pretty good right?”

“You’re the best.” 

You’ve never seen Trevor look that content before in your life. It looked like he had found some sliver of happiness and that in turn made you happy as well. 

As soon as the moment was over, Trevor turned serious. “Alucard, are you ready for this?”

“No. But let’s put an end to this anyway.” He stated as he gripped the hilt of his sword. 

Alucard trekked through the mud first, without hesitation, as a fire burned in him. Trevor, Sypha, and you followed suit. It felt like your soul had left your body like you were just watching yourself. Your body moved without you thinking. You took out your bow as you got closer and closer to the esteemed Castle Dracula. 

Alucard walked up the steps with Trevor and Sypha at his side. You kept to the back as he pushed the doors opened. The sounds of yelling and the clanging of swords rang out into the still air, then everything went silent. 

The vampire’s realization of the group walking through the front door froze them in their tracks. There were two different factions fighting each other. Their gazes moved from one another to the four of you standing at the entrance basked in the red glow. 

“I terrify them. Sypha disorients them. Alucard goes over the top and we support him.” Trevor ordered as he grabbed his whip from his side. 

“Yes,” You and Sypha said in unison. 

Alucard held his broadsword in one had. You watched as it floated easily in mid-air. He pulled the sheath away and the sword flew effortlessly by his head. The force of the magic blew his air back. 

“Begin,” he stated. 

Sypha and Trevor ran out in front of Alucard and he swayed his way towards the enemies that started to pounce. Both factions stopped their efforts of fighting each other and joined forces to attack your group. 

The vampires ran and jumped from their perch above you. One of your arrows shot out, fire imbued into the tip, hit the closest vampire right in between the eyes. As Trevor whipped the Morningstar into the next closest vampire. Both erupted into flames, the velocity of the explosion knocked the vampires that were in the air into the pillars and onto the floor. 

Trevor threw the whip out, expertly maneuvering the weapon to step on the chain to change the direction of the tip to hit a vampire right in the head. You shot two arrows at a time, grabbing them from the quiver at your hip. Two more heads exploded, plenty more to go. You focused on supporting your new found group, covering Sypha and Alucard. 

Just as you paused to grab another arrow, flames shot out from behind you on both sides creating an arc in front of you. You looked at Trevor then glanced behind you to watch Sypha cross her arms, the fire lit inside her. Alucard pushed himself as he kept low to the ground, and at the last second, he leaped through the air above you and Trevor through the fire. Your heart stopped as you watched him transform into a large white wolf. 

The leagues of vampires had no idea what to do, they all stood in shock. Alucard ripped one of the vampires in white throat out and threw its body toward the staircase. Its body exploded in a spray of blood on the wall. The rest of the vampires tensed and moved to attack. You saw the glow of red eyes from Alucard’s new form, as his broadsword sliced out and cut the hand of the vampire that was about to attack him. The sword moved in a blur and landed itself into the same vampire's neck. 

Alucard landed and morphed back into the vampire you knew. His sword back by his side, as he dashed into the next vampire. A sickening smack into one of their guts, then a slice of the next, a kick to the face sent another flying. He moved faster than you could comprehend. You gripped your bow tighter as you pulled another arrow out. 

Sypha closed her eyes and conjured up an array of icicles in front of her. The force of her magic blew her air back, revealing the most sinister gaze you’ve ever seen on her. Trevor pulled back his whip and coiled it around his arm, a sword in his other hand. 

She moved the fire barrier away, stunning the vampires behind it. They all dashed towards you. The icicles shot out, one, two, three hits in an instant. The force behind them sent the vampires spiraling to the floor. You couldn’t keep up with her speed as you shot arrow after arrow. 

Two vampires, ones that weren’t in the black and white armor slapped your arrows and her icicles way without a flinch. One was dressed in orange and red robes, the other in dark grey. Trevor and Sypha looked at each other and nodded, as the different vampires split up. 

The one in the orange attacked at Sypha with two short khopesh swords. She directed her icicles as if they were apart of her, deflecting their blows. With each deflects, the icicle shattered. She was down to one left, the vampire not even a foot away pounced to attack. Sypha flicked her wrist up, a thin slice of ice shot out from the ground. The vampire cocked their head back barely missing the attack. Sypha slapped her hands together and pushed the ice into a thin sheet. The vampire backflipped back and back before it made a grandiose leap up and over the sheet of ice, landing expertly onto it. Then it moved, running on the sheet-like it was easy. 

You kept your focus on the grunts left, dispatching them before they could become a bigger problem. You saw the smirk on Sypha’s face as she lifted her arms over her head, the sheet of ice following and slicing the vampire clean in half. 

Trevor blocked blows from the vampire attacking him. They spun a spear out, trying to hit him any way they could. Trevor let the vampire push him back till there was a good distance between them. The whip flew out from Trevor like it was apart of him. He moved the hilt and wrapped part of the chain around his sword to angle the whip around and around the vampire. He pulled on his sword causing the chain to go taunt capturing them in front of him. The tip of the Morningstar flew around the vampires head as Trevor rushed them and punched it right into their mouth. With a quick turn, Trevor used his force and kicked the vampire as hard as he could up into the air to land next to a group of five grunts. The vampire Trevor kicked started to convulse and explode in a pile of flames killing the group as well. 

The ash settled as you, Trevor, and Sypha had a second to catch your breath. Until you heard the roar of another vampire. You looked towards the main staircase where Alucard was surrounded by the bloody bodies of the vampire army. Two other vampires, much like the ones that Sypha and Trevor fought, attacked Alucard. 

One of them in a kimono seemed to be floating as if they were made of dust. Alucard slashed with his sword and they seemed to vanish into nothing. As another in blue pounced from the ceiling. Alucard’s sword blocked their blow, but he couldn’t move in time to block their next attack which sent him flying into a pillar. 

His body smacked into the stone and fell to the ground as did his sword a few feet away. You and Trevor ran, as the dust started to surround Alucard and form again into the same towering vampire from a few seconds ago. Alucard stood, ready to attack until ice cold wind blew past the cloud of dust freezing it. Sypha brought her hands down, shattering the ice. 

As you and Trevor ran, Sypha shot two pillars of ice underneath you giving you the velocity to attack. Trevor threw the whip, and you shot pure fire out from your bow, attacking the third vampire. Your fire distracted it as the chain wrapped around their ankles. You landed with a roll as Trevor used his force to bring the vampire down to the floor. Alucard dashed and grabbed his sword, leaping to attack the vampire in blue, slicing her head off without her even reacting. 

As the final vampire landed, Sypha ran and placed her hand on their forehead. Immense heat erupted from her hands incinerating the vampire. Their screams echoed in the chamber as it fell to the ground in a sick slump. Sypha dropped her hand and walked past the burning flesh.

You wiped the sweat from your brow as you grabbed as many arrows as you could that were still in good condition. 

With that, Alucard took the stairs two at a time to get to the main staircase at the end of the hall. As everyone followed, you could hear more fighting happening on an upper level. You looked up to see a human slicing at a vampires throat. You shot out an arrow as Alucard threw his sword towards this man. He pulled the body of the vampire up and let it take your attacks. 

“Come on! Let’s move!” Trevor pushed as you all followed up the stairs. 

You passed the bodies of the soldiers wearing the same armor as the ones you fought at the entrance. You didn’t waste too much time staring at the horror that you got yourself into and bolted up the steps. 

As you made it to the top, the hallway was the same as the stairs, with bodies all along the ground slowly turning into dust leaving dark stains in the wine-colored carpet. You took a moment to look at the vaulted ceilings and the lanterns that lined the halls. It felt like you were in a different world, one that haunted you in a way. The terror of not being able to see the ceiling made you uncomfortable, who knew what monsters could be lurking and hiding in the shadows. 

Alucard pushed himself into the front and lead the little party down the twisting halls until you heard voices in a room not far away. 

He ran out faster than you to confront his father in his study. He needed to face him first, alone. 

You, Trevor, and Sypha gathered your bearings as you listened to them talk. 

“You couldn’t face me before,” Dracula - the first time you heard his voice clearly, it was low, and deep, spat. 

“I was alone before,” Alucard shot back as Trevor and Sypha stepped into the room. 

A second passed as Dracula took in the ragtag group before him. Alucard ducked as you shot an arrow dosed in flames towards his father. Dracula moved and the arrow missed him barely. His deep red eyes bore into yours in the hallway, it made you freeze. The gaze held you in your spot, you couldn’t move, couldn’t think, or react. It’s like he marked you for death, until Alucard raised his sword and pushed Dracula back with a power you’ve never seen before. The room shook as the walls splintered with the force Alucard knocked him back. 

You were sure that Alucard made a hit, you could see his arms straining from where you stood. Your gaze moved towards Dracula holding the tip of Alucard’s sword effortlessly between two fingers. The look on Dracula’s face wasn’t of victory or malice, he looked saddened as he pushed his son back easily. 

Alucard made a few steps back trying to keep his ground and it failed. He whipped his sword out of his father’s grasp. He tried to attack, slicing his sword back and forth. Dracula made no real effort to dodge you could see that. Alucard brought his arm down in an arc, Dracula caught it easily contorting Alucard’s body in an awkward way. Dracula’s other hand smacked down onto Alucard’s face knocking him into the fireplace. The air left his lungs as he tried to recover from the hit. 

Trevor and Sypha tensed. Trevor ran forward the Morningstar Whip tight in his grasp. Dracula bent down and you felt the force of the power behind his jump as he rammed right into Trevor. They flew out of the study into the hallway, you had a second to jump out of the way of that attack. You landed on your back as Dracula shoved Trevor into the pillar. Trevor fell and you saw as he coughed up blood. Dracula stood in front of you, his attention still on Trevor. 

You saw the light of the flames lick out from the study. Sypha’s hands outstretched her magic filling the air. Dracula brought his cape up to protect himself from the attack. 

“Speaker Magician!” Dracula hissed. 

Sypha moved around Dracula in an arc as she tried to get to Trevor. You took this as an opportunity to get back up on your feet. 

He moved and went to slice at Sypha, she blocked him with a slab of ice but it wasn’t enough. He shattered it without hesitation that sent her flying. Blood sprayed from her as she fell to the floor. You watched in horror as she landed on her side and rolled. 

“Sypha!” Trevor yelled as he mustered up the strength to stand up. 

Trevor rushed Dracula, grabbing a handful of his cloak and turning him around away from her. 

“You must be the Belmont.” Dracula mused as Trevor’s punches did nothing to the legendary vampire. 

Dracula punched Trevor, hard in the stomach, sending him flying. His arm shot out and grabbed Trevor by the throat. 

He cocked back his hand, “The end of your line.”

Anger sparked something inside you, something you had never truly felt before as fire erupted and burst from your hands. You shot out volleys of fire at him, to stop him from hurting Trevor. Dracula dropped him taking your attacks with ease like it didn’t affect him at all. His clothing started to singe and he made his way towards where you stood. 

Alucard stabbed his sword through Dracula’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. You focused your emotions and your fire at him, you’ve never experienced this much magic before. You’d only ever use it in small bursts, you could feel your body overheating at this point. It felt like you were melting yourself from the inside out, but you couldn’t stop. Dracula hissed at the pain as the fire blazed at his skin. You saw Sypha stand up from where she laid and she used her magic, her fire burned him from behind. He was surrounded. Alucard moved his sword so both of your and Sypha’s attacks could hit him face on. 

Dracula roared out in anger. He moved one arm to block Sypha’s fire and hit her again, sending her in your direction. You panicked, you dosed the fire in your veins and caught her. The force of her hit knocked you both on the ground at least she wasn’t unconscious this time. 

“I got you,” you coughed as she laid on top of you. 

Dracula brought his other arm down, forcing Alucard to lose his balance. With a flick of his wrist, Dracula sent his son flying down the hall. 

Trevor pulled the stick he had obtained in the library and twisted it in his hands. With Dracula distracted, Trevor rushed him. At the last second Dracula turned and yelped as the stick pierced his chest. One inch too far to the left. 

Rage burned in Dracula’s eyes at the infamy of Trevor’s action. Dracula gripped Trevor’s forearm and threw him backward, towards you and Sypha. With her quick reflexes, Sypha pushed with her intent and let a gust of air shot towards Trevor softening his blow as you caught him yet again. At least this time you stayed on your feet. 

You felt the floor shake with power as you looked up in time to see Dracula raise his arms high above his head and slam down on Alucard’s back, cracking the stone floor beneath them. 

_This is crazy, there’s no way we are going to survive this. _You thought.__

____

Alucard slapped Dracula’s arms away and slammed his fist into Dracula’s neck. Another audible gasp left Dracula at the blow, he didn’t take that kindly. He pulled his arm back and smacked Alucard in the chest. The force of the blow sent him back and kicking up a fair amount of dust. 

____

You covered your eyes, and as the dust settled you saw that Sypha had trapped Dracula with icicles embedded into his calf. He growled. Before he could break free Trevor spun his whip around and around his body building up the momentum to throw the whip out. You watched it soar, the tip heating up with every second as it flew straight into Dracula’s chest. 

____

The force of the Morningstar Whip exploded into a sea of flames. Ash and dust filled the hallway. Everyone covered their eyes and waited for it to settle, hoping against hope that this was the end of it. The tension in the air was thick as the anticipation grew with every second the dust settled. Dracula still stood, visible smoke radiating off of him. He only stood tall for a second before falling to his knees. 

____

His fingers dug into the carpet as he cursed, “The Morningstar Whip. Well played, Belmont.” 

____

“But I am no ordinary vampire to be killed by your human magics,” Dracula slowly got up, reaching his full height once more, “I am Vlad Dracula Tepes, and I have had _enough! _”__

______ _ _

Within a second he started to float, he crossed his arms over his chest and as they spread out, flames ignited in a ball of energy in front of him. 

______ _ _

The fireball pushed down the hall towards your party, Trevor stood in shock, much like you. What could either of you do in a situation like this? Before you could answer that, Sypha stood and ran out in front of Trevor. 

______ _ _

Sypha pushed her arms out and you could feel her power pushing against Dracula’s. She grunted as she stood her ground against this demonstration of power. Though she slowed the fire, it didn’t stop it’s descent down the hall. Her footing started to slip and she was losing traction. Trevor glanced over his shoulder to look at you. You understood the message he was relaying in that look. He turned and braced himself against Sypha. You turned and did the same. Both of your weight against her stopped her from moving. But there wasn’t much you could do to help her, your magics - though strong - would do no good here but add more fire to Dracula’s flames. 

______ _ _

In a blink, Alucard moved in front of Sypha. His arm outstretched as he called for his sword. It flew into his hand gracefully. With all of his might he stabbed at the fireball pushing it back. You, Trevor, and Sypha grunted against the power, straining to keep your ground. With a final push of her intent, Sypha got the leverage she needed with all of your help to send the ball back towards Dracula. 

______ _ _

It wasn’t over just yet, Dracula still held his ground. He strained against the power that he conjured as Alucard pushed it farther and farther till it was too much for him to handle. Alucard sent the power forward burning a rather large hole through the castle walls. The entire castle shook, as a large portion got destroyed in a single action. 

______ _ _

Alucard’s broadsword went flying as him and his father drove their fight further into the castle. 

______ _ _

\---

______ _ _

The fierce power behind Alucard almost scared you as he pushed himself harder and harder to fight Dracula - his father. That was still something that didn’t make sense to you, how could he… No, it was different, his father was a monster, right? That was how you had to justify what you were doing. You saw the painting in Alucard’s room with his mother, his father and him as a baby with the biggest smile on his face. They all looked happy. Content. Loved. 

______ _ _

That all ended when..You had to hear the story from Sypha, Alucard couldn’t - or wouldn’t - talk about it himself. If you were in the same boat, you’d probably react the same. You still couldn’t muster up the details of your father’s death that haunted you every time you close your eyes. It wasn’t something you just get over. It’s been six almost seven years and you still think about that night.

______ _ _

You reflected on that moment as you watched in horror of Trevor slicing Dracula’s head off in the middle of Alucard childhood bedroom. The fire Sypha mustered to burn him to ash. The black plague of demons that rushed out of Dracula’s existence and exacerbated into a scream of nothingness, that sent you all in a spiral to the floor. You wanted to stop this, at least get Alucard out of the room so he didn’t have that last image of his fathers severed head and body being set alight by Sypha. You saw the makeshift stake protruding from Dracula’s chest, Alucard hands shakingly holding it. 

______ _ _

The look in Alucard’s eyes broke you. He looked lost and forlorn, something you’d never seen in him before. After the deed was done, all that was left of Dracula’s memory was a single silver band on the floor. His wedding ring. The last loving gesture, the last thing he hung onto of his late wife. 

______ _ _

Alucard stood in the middle of his room staring at the scorched marks, and the untouched ring. Trevor and Sypha stood off to the side, unsure of what to say or do, much like you. 

______ _ _

“Alucard..did we do it?” Trevor broke the silence. 

______ _ _

“We did,” He started as he glanced around his room, “I...killed my father.” 

______ _ _

“You ended a war on humankind. Don’t get weepy about it.”

______ _ _

Your head has never snapped back as fast as it did. You sent Trevor a look with so much malice, he took a step back. Sypha stuck her hand out in front of Trevor to silence him. 

______ _ _

“Trevor’s right. You’ve saved countless lives. But it’s all right to mourn the man too.”

______ _ _

Alucard sighed like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “He died a long time ago.” 

______ _ _

You walked in front of him, careful not to step on the ring. You bent down and gently picked up the band. Alucard didn’t protest, his eyes followed your movements. As you stood back to your full height, you really saw how much taller he was. He towered over you, his head hung low. Locks of long blonde hair obscured the frown on his face. Neither Trevor nor Sypha saw this look - only you. You grabbed his wrist and brought it towards you. He slowly opened his hand as you dropped the ring into his palm. You closed his fingers around it into a fist. He couldn’t even look you in the eyes as you did that. 

______ _ _

“Let’s go,” you whispered. “It’s over.”

______ _ _

All he could do was give you a solemn nod, as you lead him out of the room by the grip of his hand, the one without the ring in it. 

______ _ _

Trevor watched you intently like he was waiting for Alucard to protest and when he should step in. You gave him a small nod, as a way to let him know you can handle yourself. 

______ _ _

After a moment Trevor and Sypha followed, as you all walked towards the entrance to leave the destruction of this place. 

______ _ _

No one dared to break the silence that settled over. Everyone was processing what happened as you walked by countless bodies, stains of blood and scorch marks. The castle will never feel like the home it was to Alucard, not anymore. 

______ _ _

As you made it down the grand staircase, where everything started. Alucard let go of your hand and walked out in front of you to stare out at the moon as it descended in the sky, the moon that had finally turned back to normal. You let him go, to process. 

______ _ _

Trevor glanced at Sypha’s wound on her shoulder and turned away in anger like he couldn’t face her for not protecting her. Sypha noticed Alucard’s hands shaking, and moved towards him. She gently placed her hand on his forearm and the other on his shoulder and the shaking subsided. 

______ _ _

Alucard looked down at her as she gave him a soft smile. Then she turned and grabbed for Trevor’s hand. She stood between the two men as she was the heart of the group. It didn’t feel like you were a part of this moment, you felt like an outsider. Till Alucard looked behind him, to look directly at you, and extend his hand towards you. 

______ _ _

While he had a small smile on his lips, you could see the sadness in his eyes. You gave him a smile of your own and took his hand once more. The four of you exited as the sun started it rises upon the world. 

______ _ _

It was over. And you didn’t know how to feel or what to do. As you looked towards Alucard, then Sypha, then Trevor, you didn’t care what you did next. At this moment you felt content for the first time in a long time, you had people to care for and people that cared about you.

______ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's long...again. My bad. I hope you guys enjoy the big bad Dracula fight! I'm trying to post once a week on Monday's let hope I keep up that schedule. Next chapter is the chapter that inspired this fic in the first place, then it's a whole new territory. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh I took a long hiatus completely not on purpose! I got a new job and helping my cousin move it was a mess... I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! This fic isn't going to stop any time soon - there might just be some more time between updates. I can't leave y'all hanging without getting to the _good _stuff....__

You sat on the stairs of the castle, alone, basking in the sun’s rays as it started to fall in the sky. You missed the feeling of warmth, the knowing of when it was morning or night. To breathe the air with nothing weighing down on top of you, brought a smile to your face. 

Everything changed for you that night almost a week ago, and now you had no real idea what to do. The world was different now. You all survived the hordes of vampires and killed Dracula him-fucking-self, you’d say it was a productive night. But with that weight lifted off of your shoulders, there was an emptiness that settled deep in your chest. 

_What are you to do now? ___

__You sighed. The ruins of the Belmont estate lay before you. The place that you called home. You had the world in front of you, endless possibilities of what to do next, but nothing came to mind._ _

__You heard his footsteps before he said anything. Trevor stood in the corner of your eye, his hand tense on his sword. You patted the stop next to you. He walked the few steps down and sat. He rested his hands on his knees. You could see him fiddle with the seam on his pants, like he wanted to say something but didn’t want to break the silence._ _

__“Out with it,” you pushed._ _

__“Out with what?”_ _

__You turned to look at him and raised your eyebrow, “Come on, Trevor, I can tell you want to say something.”_ _

__Trevor pursed his lips, “What are you going to do now?”_ _

__There it is._ _

__You blinked, “I’m not sure actually. I haven’t thought that far. You?”_ _

__He looked at you then turned to look at the sunset. It was almost behind his home now, the first night after everything was upon you all. After a few moments passed, he spoke, “My family spent hundreds of years trying to kill Dracula. Their entire being started with him, and now he’s dead. I don’t know what’s next.”_ _

__You brought your knees up to your chest and shrugged, “This is my home, I don’t know anything else.”_ _

__“You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. You don’t have to stay here on this grave any longer, go out there. Get in a bar fight, kill some monsters, start a family or some shit, live your time to the fullest.”_ _

__A confused look crossed your face, “Am I hearing this from _the _Trevor Belmont? I know it’s his voice, but it doesn’t sound like his words.”___ _

____“What? You saying I can’t give you advice?”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“No,” you chuckled, “It’s not that, it’s just...you’ve changed. It makes sense, but all you cared about as a child was to live up to your namesake and become a monster hunter like your father. You...I...I don’t know where I’m going with this.”_ _ _ _

____Trevor laughed, “I killed Dracula, I think I’ve lived up to the family name well enough.”_ _ _ _

____“Yet, you have no direction of what to do like me.”_ _ _ _

____He shrugged as the last light of the sun dipped below the horizon. The cold of the night rushed into your bones and you shivered. You already missed the warmth._ _ _ _

____Trevor stood and offered his hand to you. You took it as he lead you back into the castle._ _ _ _

____Flashes of the fight crossed your mind. Your mouth went dry as you looked at the stains and scorch marks in the carpet. It was hours ago, but it was still fresh in your head. You blinked and shook your head willing the vividness away._ _ _ _

____Trevor lead you to the uppermost set of stairs to sit again, at least here in the warmth._ _ _ _

____“Just because we have no direction, doesn’t mean shit. We’ve got time to figure it out.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re right, Trevor,” you smiled and then stifled a yawn, “Right now, all I want is a good night’s sleep. I haven’t had one in forever.”_ _ _ _

____“Well, I think there are plenty of places in here for you.”_ _ _ _

____You stood and stretched your arms high above your head letting the tension flow out of you. You gripped your cloak tighter around yourself._ _ _ _

____“Thank you Trevor, I’ll see you in the morning.”_ _ _ _

____Trevor smiled and gave you a little wave._ _ _ _

____You walked past him and gave his shoulder a small squeeze. Trevor watched you as you disappeared up the stairs at the end of the great hall. He was worried about you._ _ _ _

____As you were for him._ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____Sypha and Trevor walked through one of the many rooms in the castle. The walls were lined with books from floor to ceiling. A huge cut out in the wall created a half dome shape where a large telescope could peer out into the sky. The sun cast a dull glow onto the tables and books. Many glass jars and beakers were broken, there shards scattered over the ground and crunched under their boots._ _ _ _

____You followed lazily behind them, still tired even after a full night sleep, admiring what the castle used to be. The wonders of just this one room made you curious about all the others. Your attention was drawn to the table that lay in the middle of the room. Books were sprawled across the surface, and some were soaked in mysterious liquids from some of the broken jars that sat on a raised shelf above the table. You dared not mess with whatever was spilled, but the contents made you curious. Whose work was here? What is Alucard’s mother or one of the vampires you fought or was it someone else altogether? You would probably never know the answer and that sadden you._ _ _ _

____Sypha’s voice drew you out of your trance, “The engine room that moves the castle. I cannot imagine how that worked.”_ _ _ _

____“Well, it doesn’t work anymore. You melted it,” Trevor teased._ _ _ _

____“I didn’t melt anything. It must’ve been straining against the spell.”_ _ _ _

____A flutter of birds startled Sypha and Trevor. They watched the little flock fly up and out of the wide open castle doors. The content look on her face faltered as she looked around the entrance. You followed them, your head hung low, not really joining in on the conversation. You leaned against the banister, as Sypha and Trevor stood before the stairs._ _ _ _

____“What do you think he’s going to do now?” She questioned._ _ _ _

____“I had a plan, you know.” Alucard interrupted from the top of the grand staircase._ _ _ _

____Sypha and you turned to watch him as he walked down the stairs._ _ _ _

____“I was going back to Gresit..return to my vault..go back to sleep.” He spoke barely above a whisper yet his words were loud in your ears._ _ _ _

____“But?” Trevor countered._ _ _ _

____“If I leave the castle here..all his work is inside it. His libraries, his materials, his knowledge. What happens to all that if the structure is abandoned? I can’t just leave it here. It’d be nothing but a grave to be robbed.”_ _ _ _

____You all said nothing as you watched Alucard intently._ _ _ _

____“So, let it be my grave.”_ _ _ _

____Trevor glanced at you from the corner of his eye, “No.”_ _ _ _

____“No?” Alucard questioned._ _ _ _

____“No. We can’t move this thing. Sypha broke it.”_ _ _ _

____Sypha scoffed, “I did not!”_ _ _ _

____“You kind of did.” Alucard shot._ _ _ _

____“I do not break things.” She stated as she crossed her arms._ _ _ _

____“So, we agreed she broke it.” Trevor stated._ _ _ _

____“Oh, yes.” Alucard agreed._ _ _ _

____Sypha gave you a look that pleaded you to not agree, “You didn’t mean to break it.”_ _ _ _

____“Really?! That’s all you’ve got?”_ _ _ _

____You shrugged, “Accidents happen?”_ _ _ _

____Trevor shook his head at you two, the smirk left his face after a second to get back to business. “So, it’s staying right here, forever. Right on top of the Belmont hold, which is now also open to the world.”_ _ _ _

____“No thanks to you lot,” you muttered._ _ _ _

____Trevor waved you off with his hand, giving you a dumb look. “Without the help of my family’s hold, we wouldn’t be alive right now having this talk.”_ _ _ _

____You grumbled, _all your hard work keeping that hell hole safe _, now open to the elements.___ _ _ _

______“Up here, your father’s collected knowledge,” Trevor continued, “Down there, the collected knowledge of your mother’s people. As above, so below. Both halves of you, Alucard.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Alucard narrowed his eyes, “I’m listening.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Trevor smiled as he walked over to him. A hand placed firmly on Alucard’s shoulder as Trevor turned to look towards the open world._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Behold, you sulky half-vampire bastard.” He let his arm drop as he turned dramatically to bow, ”I bequeath you the Belmont Hold.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Trevor stood, “Make that and the castle your home,” he looked at both you and Alucard, “Both of your homes. Not your graves. Be it’s last defenders.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______You could have sworn there was an audible drop as your jaw hit the floor._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’re giving me your home?” Alucard breathed, like he couldn’t believe it much like you._ _ _ _ _ _

______“It’s yours. Our childhood home and your childhood home. Protect it. Make something out of it. Something better than a pile of ruins and a symbol of terror.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______A small smile spread across Alucard’s face as he gave Trevor a nod. Sypha returned the smile and placed a reassuring hand on Alucard’s shoulder. You looked upon them, those you called _friends _now. Tears swelled up in your eyes, and spilled over. You couldn’t stop the emotions that you were feeling. Though this land was your home for a while now, it felt good that Trevor made it your home officially.___ _ _ _ _ _

________Trevor looked over at you as you swiped at your tears. He waved you over. You closed the distance, and he wrapped his arm around your neck and pulled you in for an awkward side hug. You couldn’t help the smile that broke through your tears. Sypha grabbed your hand and gave it a squeeze as she wrinkled her nose at you. Alucard looked down at you, and gave you a small smile. He reached for your other hand and held it gently in his as you sobbed in between the group. All of the pent up emotions that you’ve harbored overflowed and wouldn’t stop no matter how much you willed it away. It felt good to finally let yourself feel after so long._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________You helped Trevor pack up the wagon. A heavy feeling weighed on your heart to see him and Sypha go. You knew this time was coming, Sypha bounced off the walls at the idea of seeing her family and traveling across the world to stop the night’s horde._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sypha and Alucard stood off to the side, saying their goodbyes. You couldn’t muster up anything to say to Trevor. It hurt too much._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He side eyed you as he was placing a sack in the back that was a little too tall for him. As he watched you, he didn’t pay attention to the sacks. Two of them fell hard, one on his head the other on his foot. He grunted and muttered a few curse words under his breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________You turned, knocked out of your lost train of thought you saw him picking up the sacks once more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well, you’re not going to say anything?” Trevor broke the silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________You sighed and threw a sack into the wagon, “What do you want me to say Belmont?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“Something.” ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Okay, something,” you retorted as you walked to the side to make sure all the straps where tight and in place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Trevor was right on your heels, “Listen here, you bastard, don’t give me that shit. Talk.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It’s been a fucking day Belmont, one day. Now you and Sypha are up and leaving like it’s nothing?” you took a deep breath, “You’ve just got back and you want to go already.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You knew the look on Trevor’s face, you saw it in your youth when he was about to blow up. But he closed his eyes for a second and calmed himself down, which shocked you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I lost so much here-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“And so did I!” You cut him off, you could feel your throat closing as tears brimmed, “So did I.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Then why are you staying?” He countered, his brow furrowed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“This land is my home too, I can’t leave it not yet. Now that the hold is open, I haven’t finished my father’s last wish. My time isn’t done here. And..” you hesitated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“And?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You glanced over Trevor’s shoulder, towards Sypha and Alucard. Trevor followed your gaze and raised his eyebrows._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I can’t leave him, not yet, not like this. He just killed his father in that castle, in his childhood room. That’s not something you get over.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Trevor opened his mouth then tightened it into a line, “You care for him?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Don’t you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, of course, but you barely know him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You shook your head, “Doesn’t matter, he may need someone, and if we all leave he’ll have no one. When my time is ready to leave I will, but it’s not that time, not now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Trevor hummed in agreement. He let your words fester in him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Alright,” he sighed, “I know you can handle yourself. We’ll be back. We may need help in the future.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You smiled, you two fought like siblings, “With how you fight? I can count on you needing my help.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey!” He shoved your arm playfully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I know Sypha can take care of you,” you laughed, “You’re both good for each other, you know that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Trevor turned, though not fast enough as you saw a blush cross his face. You walked around him, and he could barely make eye contact, it just made you smile wider._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You embraced him in a hug, and he was stunned for a second before mimicking you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’ll miss you Trevor, it hasn’t been long enough. You better stay alive out there. The world can’t bear to lose the last Belmont.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________I know I couldn’t… _but you didn’t say that.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’ll miss you too, we’ll come back. I promise.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’ll hold you to that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I know,” he smiled, “I know.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________You broke the hug first, and gave him a final smile as Alucard and Sypha walked up behind you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“We’re ready,” Sypha smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________You placed your hand on her shoulder, the good one, and squeezed. She covered your hand with hers and gave you a warm smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Take care, Sypha. Tell this story, and make sure you both come back in one piece.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I will. Please take care of the books, I have so many I want to read!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________All you could do was smile and nod, the reality setting in as Alucard helped Sypha up onto the front of the wagon. You bit on the side of your cheek to stop the onset of tears that felt like they were about to fall. Trevor leaned over and gave you and Alucard a salute. You returned the gesture as Alucard smiled and flipped him off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Trevor scoffed, then laughed, “Fuck you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Come on, boy,” he said to the horses._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________You stood next to Alucard watching as they crossed over the bridge heading deep into the forest. As soon as they went a little further he turned abruptly and headed back towards the castle. You watched him walk away without another word to you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A sigh left your throat as you stood alone. You took one final look back at were Sypha and Trevor made their voyage back to the real world. Then you turned and made your way back to your new home._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	8. Chapter 8

The opening to the castle loomed over Alucard. He stood for a second before his home, it will never feel like what it was before - when his mother was alive. Alucard sighed and took his first few steps up the stairs outside and onto the velvet carpet. One that was once glorious and shiny now stained with blood and scorched from the fires of the battle here just a day before. 

Alucard’s boots echoed softly in the chamber, as he walked the long expanse towards the stairs. His hands ghosted over the railing and he swore he heard another set of footsteps. As he looked back towards the opening, he saw you far in the distance, not anywhere near the castle. His eyes scanned the entrance and moved towards the stairs and his heart stopped as he saw an apparition of his father. 

Dracula’s head hung low, his collar high to mask his face. A longing look was evident in his eyes. Alucard stopped his ascent and watched as the apparition ghosted itself down the opposite set of stairs to stop at the landing where he stood. 

“Is this how the castle felt to you?” Alucard looked up at his father, “Before my mother first arrived at your door?” 

He didn’t expect an answer, but he would be lying to himself if he didn’t want one. Alucard turned away and made his way up the stairs, the apparition gone behind him. 

So much terror and so much horror laid waste to his home. He sighed as his boots crunched over the broken stained glass on the stairs. He assessed the damage, and how much time it would take to get everything back to normal. Back to what it was before his mother…

Alucard felt a wave of emotion hit him, he took a deep breath letting the air fill his lungs and hold it in there for a few seconds before he breathed it out his nose. It’s been a long time, the fight for his mother’s memory was over. His father had perished. 

He was alone. 

The grip he had on the handrail splintered the wood in his hands. He gasped and let his hand relax. Small pieces of wood dug into his skin. The smallest drop of blood pooled in one of the splinters. It brought him back to reality. He easily picked the splinters out from his palm, the wounds already closing. Then he looked at the handrail, his hand imprinted perfectly into the dark wood. 

A curse left his throat at his action. His head hung low as he ascended the stairs, following the path of decemation that laid before him. _It seemed so long ago, yet it was just yesterday._ That realization kept going through his head with every step that he took. 

“This is a mess,” he sighed. 

Room by room he inspected the damage. He’d pick up a fallen book here or some broken glass there. Just enough to feel like he did something other than think about his new reality. His steps echoed in the hall, and the emptiness drove a stake in his chest. The laughs and all the good times that he had here were replaced by death and destruction. He let his fingers run against the torn wall’s till he got to his father’s study, where it all started. 

Alucard stood outside the room his hand on the frame of the door. 

His eyes scanned the room, his father’s first portrait of his mother had fallen off the wall. The highback chair cast to the side. A crack in the ground where his father stood his ground from Alucard’s first advanced. It all seemed too much for him. He took a deep breath and pushed himself into the space. 

If he didn’t get this over with now, he would never be able to step foot in this study ever again. 

He picked up his mother’s portrait. It was still in perfect shape, save a bit of dust here. Alucard glided his hand over the picture, pushing the imperfections away. His mother’s golden hair, and bright eyes, brought a small smile to his face. It was a sad smile. She is so beautiful. A pang of emotions hit his chest, she was beautiful. Tears swelled up in his eyes but he blinked them away quickly.

_No. Not here. Not yet._ He chanted to himself.

Alucard carefully set his mother’s portrait down and leaned it against the desk in the study. He took one last look at it, at the happiness in her smile, in her eyes and turned to look at the rest of the room. 

His eyes then landed on his father’s chair. 

It was only a few steps away from him, but it felt like a mile. 

Alucard took his first steps towards it, each one feeling harder than the last. When he got to it he grabbed the back of the chair and set it upright. He walked around and took a seat in the red velvet.

Throughout his life, he only ever saw his father sit in this chair. Every once in a while his father would pick him up and set him down in his father’s lap. Alucard felt extremely regal and royal when his father would do that. It was rare, as his father liked to be in his study alone. But those rare moments stood out to Alucard. 

A noise caught his attention as he looked up from the floor. He looked towards the door. What he saw made the air escape his lungs, it was him - as a child. His long hair tied back with a ribbon, a huge smile on his young face. This apparition was the same as the one of his fathers that he saw earlier. A second passed then his mother appeared in the door frame to sweep his younger self up in a huge hug. The biggest smile was on her face as she turned to look into the room. His grip tightened on the chair as he tried to hold back his tears, the chair shook as he couldn’t keep them from falling. 

His hands went to his eyes as the apparition disappeared, to wipe away the tears. The pain too strong to hold anymore. He couldn’t stop the flood gates. His chest ached as the full realization of his reality set in. 

Lisa and Vlad Tepes. 

Mother and Father. 

Dead. 

Alucard started to hyperventilate. He couldn’t catch his breath, as the tears kept flowing and flowing. His hands rubbed against his eyes harder and harder to try and stop the crying. Noises filled the room, he didn’t realize it was him whimpering. It was like he was in a trance, he wanted to stop but he couldn’t. His body wouldn’t let him. 

“Alucard?” You whispered. 

He was so wrapped up in his emotions that he didn’t even hear you walk up to him. 

You felt like you shouldn’t be here, with Alucard in the state that he’s in. But you chose to stay for any moment like this. To be with him and support him, you tell yourself. 

You kneel in front of him, and gently bring your hands to his. You stop his motions of rubbing his eyes. 

“Alucard,” you whisper again, “It’s okay.” 

Alucard looks at you, as you pulled his hands away from his face. You had an honest concerned look on your face but you tried to hide it with a solemn smile. He saw the look in your eyes as you tried to comfort him. 

He opened his mouth to take a deep breath to calm himself. He stopped hyperventilating as he watched you. 

“You’re not alone, I can promise you that,” You start, “I am here for you. You don’t have to face this by yourself.” 

Tears continued to fall down his face, though at a slower pace than when you first walked into the room. You bring his hands down to the arm rests, as you rubbed slow circles into his skin. 

All he could do was nod his head. 

You stood up, bringing his hands with you. “Come.”

Alucard looked up at you, his eyes red and puffy. His jaw quivered. He didn’t protest as you pulled him up and out of the chair. You pulled him out of the study, and into the hallway. There was no real destination that you had in mind, just anywhere but there in that room. He followed without question, his head hung low. 

You wound down hallways and stairs, as you made your way back to the front of the castle. It took what felt like forever to get to where you are but when you finally see the large entry way ahead of you, you saw the sun started to set. 

The sun slowly fell behind the Belmont ruins as you sat Alucard down on the steps. With the castle facing this way, it was one of your favorite spots already. You always loved watching the sun set, though you hated that the warmth would go away. But in this moment, the loss of warmth didn’t matter. You sat down next to him, letting his hand go. 

You took a moment to gather your thoughts. “I know almost exactly what you’re feeling right now.”

Alucard turned his head to look at you as he listened. 

you thought to yourself. 

“As you know, my father died. I didn’t tell you how he died though.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Alucard tilting his head. 

“My mother died when I was young. I never really got to know her. My father was my life. He raised me, with the help of Trevor’s parents,” you smiled as memories filtered through your mind of being raised by three parents in a sense, “It wasn’t easy when the Belmont’s were...forced out of their home. It was just my father and I then. He would watch after me and the estate. He’d spend hours training me to fight the monsters of the night, how to survive with nothing, how to keep fighting day after day when all else seems helpless.”

You paused to let your words sink in and to hold back the tears that were coming to the brim. 

“Most people never dare to step on the estate, they think that the Belmont’s put some type of curse or spell on the land. That’s not true in the slightest but the fear kept them away. Every once in awhile there would be some daring group to try and get to the hold. My father and I would combat them, keeping them away. Then, one night, my first real night on watch by myself. All hell broke loose. It was just one monster, I don’t even know what it really was, then another and another. By the time I got to my father, we were overrun. Over our heads. All I remember was blood, lots of it.”

Alucard wanted to say something, anything to comfort you but his words left him. You were spilling your heart out to him. He was probably the first and only person you would tell this tale to. 

“Everything was a blur, until I heard my father scream for me. The monsters left with their tails tucked between their legs. But then...then I saw what happened to him. He was bitten in the neck. A huge chunk was taken out of him. I managed to stop the bleeding, but I knew he wasn’t going to survive. No one ever survived that kind of wound especially when it was just us.” 

You were almost done, Alucard could see that. He could see how tense your shoulders were and how they slowly started to release that tension. This was a weight that was on your shoulders for years and now it can finally be taken off. 

“He lived for another week. I ventured for miles and miles till I hit the closest town. I stole some medicine and food. I didn’t have any money to give, we lost it all. I never ran faster than that night. I knew it would help my father. It would make him better,” You paused for the final time, “It would have made him better if I made it home in time. He died on the one night that I left him alone.”

A single tear fell down your cheek. You let it fall past your lips, and down your chin till the single droplet fell onto your pants. 

“I buried him next to my mother's grave. They were together again at last,” you croaked, your voice gone. 

Alucard reached his hand out and placed it on top of yours in your lap. You looked at his hands as you followed his arm up to his eyes. They were bloodshot from crying only moments ago, his face still tear stained. But you saw something else in his eyes other than pain. You saw understanding. 

“Thank you,” he started, “You’ve helped me more than you’ll ever understand. I am grateful that you are here.”

He gave you a soft smile, his lips tugged slightly to the side. His wound was still fresh, and he can tell that yours was as well. 

It was his turn to stand, to grab onto your hand and pull you up from your stupor. The sun had set and the cool of the night fell heavy upon you two. 

“Let’s retire for the night,” he whispered. 

You let Alucard guide you into the castle. To a world unknown to you. 

Before, you knew that your days and nights would be the same. You’d set the same traps every night and every morning. You’d make your way to your hut you called home to wash up and sleep for an hour or so. You did that every day for well over six years. 

All those years alone. 

Now you weren’t. 

There was a home, a real home, with beds and a kitchen, with studies, libraries, and things you’ve probably never even heard of before. You had this whole castle with Alucard. 

This is what you chose. What you wanted. You didn’t want him to deal with his father’s death alone like you had. 

Being alone for all that time with all that weight on your shoulders, you begged for a miracle to happen to bring someone to help you see the light. To help you understand what it meant to live a life, the only life you were given. To not be alone. To have a friend. 

You hoped that Alucard felt the same. That he wanted the company just the same as you. If he wanted you gone, you would respect his wishes, you just hoped that it would never come to that. 

Why that thought crossed your mind, you didn’t know. But now the idea that you would one day be unwanted here settled into the back of your mind. 

_No._ You shook that thought away. You wanted to live here in this moment, not in the past anymore and certainty not in the future. You wanted to be here with your _friend_ who needed to grieve. 

You would be there for him. 

And he would be there for you.


	9. Chapter 9

You awoke the next morning, the sun's first rays shone through the stained glass window in your room. You blinked the sleep away from your eyes. 

_Where am I? What happened? _Were the first thoughts that passed through your mind.__

__The memories of yesterday rushed through you. Trevor and Sypha leaving. Alucard in his father’s study. Your confession about your father’s death. It was an extremely emotional time for you and Alucard both._ _

__The last thing you remembered before your slumber was Alucard leading you to the first empty and untouched room and saying goodnight as he closed the door. He didn’t say much to you after you unloaded on him other than a small thank you._ _

__You shifted in the bed from laying on your side to on your back. This was a whole new feeling, being in a soft bed in a sturdy room after a full nights sleep. It was so weird._ _

__You didn’t know what to do. Your entire life had been turned upside down. So you decided to take things step by step instead of thinking too far ahead into the future. For now, you threw the covers off of you and sat up. You rubbed your eyes with the back of your hands as you threw your feet off the edge of the bed. The cool stone sent shivers through your bare feet. You looked through the window and saw a beautiful clear sky, the warmth of the sun radiating on you. You felt like an animal at this moment, basking in the sun a small content smile on your face._ _

__Honestly, you didn’t want to get up or move from this spot. It felt so nice and safe here. You couldn’t keep the thought of my life is different now out of your head. A sigh left your throat as you pushed yourself up and out of the comfort of the bed. You shoved your feet back into your boots and tied your cloak around your neck._ _

__You moved out of the room, making sure to leave it open so you could find it again. You looked up and down the hall. It looked exactly the same as every other hall you’ve seen so far. You had a strong feeling that you were going to get lost sooner or later._ _

__For the moment, you just wanted to explore what you are currently calling your home. Home. It sounded nice, but also so foreign. You had always called that makeshift hut your home, or your perch in the ruins. But not a place like this. You never thought about this being a sanctuary for you._ _

__There were so many rooms, so many new things you’ve never experienced before. You decided to go left, why you didn’t know that way just felt right._ _

__This part of the castle, so far, looked untouched by the fight. The dark velvet on the floor muffled your footfalls. You walked to the end of the hall and saw it turned left, and you followed it gingerly. You thought about where Alucard might be at this moment._ _

__Does he need to sleep? You thought you could have sworn he mentioned going back to sleep but he also mentioned a place...You couldn’t recall what he said...Grekit? No, that’s not right. You mused over the name he mentioned as you walked down the hall._ _

__I know it started with a G...Gordon? _Gresit? _Wait! That sounds right, Gresit! _I have no idea where that is... _The thoughts ran through your head as you came upon a set of winding stairs._____ _

______“Up or down?” You muttered out loud._ _ _ _ _ _

______You’d make your way all around this castle sooner or later. You’d hope that you’d be able to remember all the twisting corridors and rooms, or maybe Alucard had a map you could have just so you wouldn’t get lost. You shrugged and decided to go down. It was always easier to go down._ _ _ _ _ _

______You followed the stairs down to the next landing, which felt like forever mind you. Once you finally emerged onto another floor, you saw that it looked exactly like the floor above. Surprising. There was something different about this floor though, something that drew you to walk further down the hall. You thought it was your curiosity that made you take those first few steps onto the same velvet carpet that lined almost every inch of flooring, minus your room though. Rude._ _ _ _ _ _

______It wasn’t until you saw an open door, with the light of the sun spilling out into the hallway. It illuminated the darkness of the dying torches in the hall. You took a few cautious steps towards the room, not sure of what lay beyond the light._ _ _ _ _ _

______When you finally looked into the room, your breath left your lungs._ _ _ _ _ _

______The room was enormous, and it held the biggest garden you had ever seen. When you peeked inside, the ceiling seemed to go on forever and ever. Large thick trees lined the walls, plants, and flowers you didn’t recognize engulfed the ground, though a perfect empty path lay before you. Rich colored dirt with remnants of flower petals and leaves enticed you to move inwards._ _ _ _ _ _

______Before you even took a step forward, you bent down and examined the path. You could make out one faint boot impression. You didn’t want to assume that it was Alucard’s footprint, that would be way too easy. You’ve survived long enough to know that anything can happen, and especially when you least expected it._ _ _ _ _ _

______You gripped the knife that you kept in a holster in your boot and prepared for the worst. You glanced into the garden, left then right, waiting for any sign of movement in the trees. Nothing._ _ _ _ _ _

_______Okay, one step at a time then. _You chanted to yourself.__ _ _ _ _ _ _

________With your knife tight in your grasp, the back of the blade flushes against your forearm as you held it slightly out in front of you. You bend your knees slightly and kept your core low as your eyes sweep over the various shrubs, plants, and flowers. As you followed the path deeper into this small mystical forests, you started to hear...water? Running water?! There was something in the middle of the room that resembled a waterfall or a running river of some sort you knew this. But how? You had to shake the how out of your mind, you were in Dracula’s castle for Christ’s Sake, was anything going to be normal?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________With the realization that there was some type of water system or magic in this room, you were extremely cautious walking this beaten path. You thought about going through the shrubbery but you had no idea what lies in there. The bushes forced you to turn this way and that until you saw the path widening ahead of you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________You looked into the opening and saw huge boulders in the middle of the space creating what looked like a small lake with a waterfall. The water cascaded down the sides of the rock, cutting it smooth as it pooled into the abyss before you. Your eyes gazed over the formation, leaving you breathless, it was beautiful. The shimmering water glistened in the diffused light that came from the ceiling, casting shine on all the flowers that circumference this cutout._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________That’s when you saw him, as you took in all your new surroundings you slowly started to rise and sheath your blade._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Alucard. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________This looked to be the end of the road. He sat at the farthest part of the lake away from the path. His back was towards you and his head was angled up looking at something you couldn’t see from here. You looked down and saw that the dirt had ended and the same cobblestone you’ve seen on the outside of the Castle surrounded the pool._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You didn’t want to disturb him, but you also felt like he had drawn you here somehow. Like in the hold when you two talked for the first time and you felt compelled to talk to him. It was a weird feeling, one you never experienced before in your life. You wanted to turn around and leave, to give him a moment alone. Before you could turn and tail it out of there, you saw as his head tilted to the side then over his shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sad melted gold eyes made contact with yours and you felt like you had been punched in the gut as he managed to take your breath away. What is happening to me? You didn’t understand the emotions that were boiling inside you. In all your years of training and surviving, these were all new things and it made you feel different._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The tiniest of smiles tugged at his lips, as Alucard brought his arm up and motioned for you to sit down. You returned a smile of your own and moved forward. The waterfall wasn’t as loud as you expected, even though it could be heard around this sanctuary. It was actually calming._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You sat next to him, about an arm's length apart. You brought your knee up onto the ledge and faced him, though your head was downcast as you skimmed the water with your fingertips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It’s warm,” you smiled, “How does it work?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Alucard looked at you over his shoulder, his attention was somewhere else. He studied the way that you sat and turned to mimic the same posture. You had to hold back a laugh at how he looked at you and tried to sit just like you. You two were more alike than you initially realized._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________From the mention of his long slumber, to how rapidly he had to age, it sounded like he was alone for most of his life. Like you. You weren’t alone per se, you had your father around for a long time, but he was also gone just as long. Both of you, know, where learning the intricacies of living with another person who wasn’t family._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m not really sure, some sort of magic I presume,” He answered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You looked at him, then up towards the ceiling. There was no breeze, but the trees swayed anyways. You knew magic came in all forms, light, dark, and everything in between. You had only taught yourself small bits of dark magic, but this was something altogether. Something you never thought would be so pure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, I like it. Magic or not, it’s breathtaking.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Alucard eyes were downcast, you could tell a sad smile made itself known on his face. This was something personal to him, but not at the same time. You waited for him to speak, not wanting to intrude on his thoughts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He followed your motions of letting his finger breach the top of the water, “My father made this room for my mother.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The water rippled lightly under his touch, sending shocks throughout the makeshift lake. You looked up from the waves, your eyes on him. Blonde locks framed his face. His free hand pushed his hair back behind his ear and over his shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“She loved gardens, but with the castle moving, she could never have that. My father saw her sadness, and then he built this before I was born.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A man of few words, but they held a deeper impact._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You hummed, “That’s sweet…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________From someone known for his ruthlessness. _It was hard for you to remember that Dracula, the Dracula, found love. A family. After all the destruction and evil that sank its teeth into the world and bled it dry, you forgot that the man in front of you came from the love between a human and a vampire.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A man that you...No. You stowed those thoughts down deep, it wasn’t the right time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Alucard nodded slightly, still preoccupied with the surface of the water. You looked and saw that he was staring at his reflection. Anger pulled at his brows and sadness at his lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________You didn’t want to see what hid behind your reflection. Instead, you stood and extended your hand to him. His eyes trailed slowly to you, his expression changing to his neutral one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“While I love this little sanctuary, I think it’s better if we do something else. You know, to get our minds off things.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He tilted his head in thought. Within a second his hand, dry, yet soft, at the same time grabbed yours. You pulled him out of his stupor on the ledge and back onto the path out of this heaven._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________You made a mental note of the turns and halls you took to get here. The room brought you a sense of familiarity that you would need living in this new labyrinth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	10. Chapter 10

You and Alucard walked out of the castle, hand in hand. The sun was snuffed out by the thick gray clouds invading the sky. It was cooler now than the previous days, but what you both needed was to be outside and away from the horror inside. 

This was your home for many, many years. The broken ruins, the hut at the edge of the forest, the sun and the sky, the breath of fresh air, you couldn’t live without it. 

The castle felt too suffocating, at least for the moment. Though that garden was a good substitute, it would never replace the real thing. With the castle being grounded here, for who knows how long, you’ll just take the extra steps to go outside instead. 

You smiled as you let the bit of the warmth from the sun sink into your skin. You looked over at Alucard as he stared up into the sky, your hands still connected. 

Warmth ran up your spine to your cheeks and you gently let his hand go. It was all a new sensation, the warmth, the contortion of your stomach, the smile that erupted on your face when you looked at him. None of it made any sense to you. 

You wished you had someone to confide in with these feelings. If only Sypha hadn’t left as quickly as she did, you could have asked her what these effects were. Maybe you were just catching a sickness. You’ve had those before and you remembered that it came with the warming of your body but still feeling cold. The knots in your stomach, yeah that all sounded like a sickness. But the _smiling? _You never had that when you were sick. You were always in pain, biting down on your teeth and tongue to push the pain out of your body. That wasn’t what you were feeling now. You felt... _airy_. Light. __

_____Gross.___ _ _

______You glanced at Alucard from the corner of your eye. His head was tilted towards the sun, his eyes contently closed. You could see he was breathing deeply, taking the fresh air in._ _ _ _ _ _

______A flutter in your heart made you turn away. You wished you understood what was happening. You looked out towards the Belmont Estate in front of you...well technically it was your’s and Alucard’s estate now. That sounded so weird in your head. The land you promised to protect now yours. What would your father say to that? He never expected any Belmont’s to ever step foot on that land ever again and he was just fulfilling the wishes of his dying friend._ _ _ _ _ _

______And here you were doing the same._ _ _ _ _ _

______You two stood outside, in comfortable silence, for what felt like forever until a loud boom shook the ground and rattled your heart in your chest. You looked towards Alucard and he looked at yours. Both your eyes going wide as you saw the lightning that followed that sound._ _ _ _ _ _

______Instantly, the clouds above you darken, heavy with water about to fall. It happened all so suddenly. It was a fine cloud covered day, now it was about to storm. The one thing you knew when it stormed was that it _flooded.__ _ _ _ _ _

_________Shit! The library!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Your body moved before your mind could. Your feet pounded into the moist ground towards the giant opening. Alucard watched you run for a second, before following suit. He caught up with you easily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Alucard! The books, they are exposed to the elements now! We have to save them!” You huffed as you ran._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You two got to the edge of the large hole easily. You almost skidded into it, if it wasn’t for Alucard who grabbed gently onto your cloak and pulled you back from the edge._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Be careful,” Alucard muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________You nodded, “We have to get down there.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Once we do, what do you expect to do? Carry a thousand books in a few moments?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Now wasn’t the time for a sarcastic remark, _you thought, _but he’s right.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I don’t know. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I’ve sacrificed so much for...for this wealth of knowledge down there. I’m going to do something, with or without your help.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Alucard looked taken aback at your last statement. Something, maybe anger or resentment, passed over his face. It looked like he wanted to say something but opted not to instead. You only kept eye contact for a second before moving, looking for something, _anything, _to get you down there.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He tensed his jaw as he watched you scramble. This was something you really cared about, he knew that but seeing you really act on it was something else entirely._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Here,” Alucard extended his hand, “I can get us down there.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________You stopped and turned back to him, “How?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Alucard sighed, something you haven’t seen him really do, “The how doesn’t matter. It’s going to start pouring any second.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________You looked up at the sky. As you did a single raindrop fell right on your cheek. Then another, and another, and it started to sprinkle within seconds._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________“Fine,” _You mumbled and took his hand.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Alucard pulled you into his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist as he jumped into the hole. Your face flushed being so close to him, and falling at a speed you weren’t ready for. You fully expected to die at this fall, but you couldn’t voice your opinion. All you wanted to do was scream but even that, you couldn’t do in the shocking state you were in. You looked down and saw the bottom of the pit coming closer and closer. Horror shook you to the core, _this is it, after everything I’m going to die by falling in this pit, _you screamed in your head.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________You braced yourself for the pain that was going to follow. You squeezed your eyes shut as you held your breath and squeezed onto Alucard for dear life._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________But...the pain never came. You felt your feet touch the ground. As your eyes slowly opened you looked up from the crook of Alucard’s neck to see him smirk at you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________You looked around and saw that you were at the bottom, the rubble from the fight a few nights ago surrounded the both of you. Anger blossomed in your chest as you pushed out of his hold._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________The smirk still hung on his face as you hit his shoulder, “Alucard! You could have _killed _us!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“There was a chance, yes, but we survived,” Alucard brushed some dust off his black boots._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________You huffed, both hands on your hips. You wanted to say more but the way that he was so nonchalant about it made you think otherwise._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Alucard extended his hand towards the broken door. You rolled your eyes and walked forward._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Warn me next time,” You told him as you passed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________He gave you a small bow, “As you wish.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Luckily the rain wasn’t coming down too hard, you could feel the ghosting of the droplets on you as you marched into the library. It was just as it was left a few days ago, broken railings and all. You were surprised that you and Trevor didn’t cause more damage with the ambush and little time to prepare. So far, it still seemed structurally sound._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Alucard followed you in, he turned to look at the door that was shattered into pieces all over the floor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“What do you plan to do?” He asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________The door was destroyed, yeah you knew that already you were there when it happened. In all honesty, what _did _you plan to do down here? Magically put the door back together on its hinges and call it a day? Even if you could do that, there was still a noticeable gap that would let water leak through.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________You looked towards the right, the broken bookshelf that Trevor so intelligently tried to prop the door shut with one of its shelves that was way too small. A smile graced your lips at that stupid memory. But...maybe you could seal the entryway shut with the shelf and figure out a permanent solution later? The best option was to just bring the books up to the Castle, but there were so many and you couldn’t transfer even an eighth of the books here before it started to storm harder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________When it rained. It poured._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“I have a plan, a stupid one, but a plan nonetheless,” you finally answered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Alucard moved to stand between you and the bookshelf that preoccupied your attention. He tilted his head to the side, something you’ve noticed he does when he has a question. It was...something fluttered in your stomach. You shook the thoughts away before they could fester into something you couldn’t stop thinking about._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Well, there’s no cover from above, no thanks to you, Trevor, or Sypha,” you started, Alucard didn’t seem phased at your accusation, “So that means that these books will be exposed to the elements, like now. If we don’t cover the entryway the library will flood. I say we move the bookcase in front of the door for now as a seal and we start getting the books ready to move to the castle.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Alucard nodded, processing your idea. “If we seal ourselves in, wouldn’t the water just pool at the bottom of the pit?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________You licked your lips and shrugged._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“The water will be gone in a day or so,” you smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________He gave you a look like you only said that to make yourself believe it. But he didn’t say anything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________You looked towards the door, you could see the water falling at a faster pace than moments ago. Your heart started to beat faster. The pit could start flooding any minute now. You looked towards the broken bookshelf again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Alucard followed your gaze. A large stupid grin plastered over your face when he turned to look at you._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Is this your stupid plan?” He asked pointing towards the empty shelf._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________You shook your head violently. You could have sworn he sighed as he moved towards the shelf. But you decided to ignore it as he went with your plan anyway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Alucard shoved his hands in between the two shelves and easily moved them apart. You moved out of the way of the door to give him room to do his work. The old wood groaned against the cobblestone floor. You were afraid that it would crash onto itself, but it surprisingly didn’t. Alucard pushed the shelf in front of the door with one hand, like it didn’t weigh anything and to him, it didn’t._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________He smirked to himself at the awestruck look on your face at his ease. He quickly wiped that smirk away, he didn’t want you to see the smug look on his face, why? He didn’t understand the feelings that were creeping up his spine._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“That was so easy,” Your voice brought him out of his trance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Alucard nodded, “What now?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________You...didn’t think this far to be quick honest. Were you going to tell him that? No. Instead, you turned and looked towards the expanse before you, hundreds of thousands of tomes laid before you. The items that you were prepared to die for._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________I need to sort out my priorities._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________It was overwhelming to look at all the levels and shelves. _What were you going to do? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________You were lost in your thoughts till Alucard stood right next to you. He was looking at where you were, his forearms leaning gently on the railing in front of you two._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Your eyes moved to his relaxed position. _God, _your thoughts ran at a million miles a second, _there’s something about him.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Well, Alucard, I think we should move these books up to the castle. There’s no use in them being in this hole, and we’d just seal ourselves in here every time it rains. It would make our lives easier, no?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________He nodded his head, “I agree. Though, this will not happen overnight.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________You held back rolling your eyes at his statement. You’re not dumb._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Though, you didn’t say anything. A second later the ground above you two shook. Your eyes went wide as you grabbed onto the railing in front of you. Dirt and dust sprang to life sprinkling from the ceiling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“What was that?!” You tried not to scream. You kind of did though._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Alucard looked at how your grip shook, and the fear in your eyes. He placed his hand gently over yours. Your head snapped to look at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“The thunder shakes the ground, and we feel it tenfold down here. This place is old, it’s not what it used to be,” he soothed, your hand relaxing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________You opened your mouth to say something. Your eyes trailing from the soft look on his face as he comforted you to his hand over yours. Your heart rammed itself against your ribs like it was going to explode any minute._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________A smile forced its way on your lips, “Thank you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Alucard nodded, and you swore you saw a smile. He ever so gently let go of your hand and moved away from the railing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Where would you like to start?” He asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________To be quite honest, you didn’t think that far. You just jumped, well Alucard forced you to jump, headfirst into the hold with no real plan in mind other than _“protect, protect, protect.” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________“Let us start up here, move all the books close to the door,” You point to a general area close enough to the door but not too close in case some water gets through the makeshift door. The other problem was how you two were going to get them out from here. It’s a long way to the top and you don’t have magical Jesus powers, that’s what Trevor told you, like Alucard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Then you looked around you...there were books. Books like the one that you carried with you, the one where you taught yourself fire magic. Sometimes you felt so idiotic. You had the worlds knowledge at your disposal, there had to be something you could teach yourself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________It was a matter of getting as many books as you could up to where you were and trying to find something in the thousands of tomes that would be useful. It could take days, even weeks until you found something suitable for your needs. It was just a matter of time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Alucard walked past you, as you were lost in your thoughts. He walked a few steps down the stairs then turned towards you. He cleared his throat, the noise catching your attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________“Are you coming?” He asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Warmth blossomed across your face, you could only nod in response. Alucard turned abruptly, the tiniest smirk across his face. He could tell there was something on your mind, as the littlest remarks could get such a flustered response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________You hurriedly followed him. Neither of you knew how long you’d be down here, the rain clouds looked thick and covered the entire sky. It could be days before you’d see the sun again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Though that didn’t sound too bad considering it was just you and Alucard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________You smiled and hoped that Alucard didn’t see it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is kind of a set up for the next set of chapters where some.....things....will be coming up *wink wink* stay tuned...
> 
> also the italics I had in place weren't italicizing for some reason....I don't know why but I'll figure it out later. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!!


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